Alister's Amulet
by BlackRose2323
Summary: Lara Croft ventures into a abandoned castle ruins and finds a secret passage. She finds a odd amulet and takes it back to be examined by Alister. Little did she knows that this amulet has more secrets to hide then the tomb itself did. What did she bring home?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Misery of the Tomb

Lara Croft carefully navigated herself through the ruins of an ancient abandoned castle. She knew that there was more to this ancient ruin than what she was seeing. She continued to climb up and down again, trying to find something.

"Lara, are you sure that there is something here?" Said a voice. Lara stopped and put her hand to her earpiece.

"I've done this sort of thing before Alister. There is something here. I can feel it," She said as she began to search around again.  
"Well, all I see is a bunch of rubble," said another voice. Lara rolled her eyes and went over to a set of stairs that led up to a broken throne chair.  
You can't always trust your eyes Zip. Sometimes," She said as she went behind the broken thrown and pulled a precarious lever that had been revealed. The stone brick wall behind her raised up in a slow grating motion, revealing stairs that led downward. "There is always a secret to beheld."  
"Well, I'll be damned," Zip said with an amused chuckle.  
"Great job, Lara," Alister praised. "Looks like there is more."

"I didn't want to say it, but I told you so," Lara said happily. She hears the two laugh a bit and then she turns to the passage. "Now, let's see what's down here shall we?" She turned on her flashlight and began to walk down into the darkness of the tomb. After about an hour of exploring the tomb, she came to an area with tall walls and a bunch of what looked to be cells.

"Whoa, talk about a medieval prison," Zip said with a bit of a nervousness to his joke. Lara walked over to one of the cells that was open and poked her head in.  
"It looks like this is where people who committed treason to their kingdom were kept, but that's only a guess. This could have been used to house anyone from petty theives to prisoners of war," She said as she looked over the cell. "But why keep these cells hidden, when there is a dungeon to this castle that is accessible to anyone."  
"Maybe this is where they kept the lunatics," Zip said with a small chuckle. Lara looked up and notices something odd.  
"Alister, are you see what I'm seeing?" She asked as she continued to look up at the odd ledge like spot.  
"What do you mean Lara, I don't see anyth- My god," Alister said as he too sees what she is looking at. "That is the ancient symbol that is used in nearly every ancient ritual, even kingly coronations, but what is doing up there and not on the ground like is properly supposed to be?"

"Maybe no one wanted it to be noticed," Lara said as she walked up to the wall and looked up towards the symbol again.  
"Why would they want that since it's an almighty symbol?" Zip asked curiously.  
"I guess we're about to find out," Lara said as she firmly grasped the a bit of the wall and began to slowly climb up. She got to the the ledge where the symbol hung above and pulled herself. "There now, let's see what they are so keen to keep hidden." Lara turned on her flashlight again and walked into the big room. She looks around at the spacious room and she see what she can only be described as a sacrificial ritual room.

"So, this is what they were hiding?" Zip said. "A bunch of scary knives."

"Those aren't just knives Zip. Those are sacrificial daggers. This place was used for blood rituals and spells. Things that needed some sort of sacrifice," Alister said. "That's why there are cells down here."

"To keep the soon-to-be sacrifices in until they were needed," Lara said as she looked around at the walls. She turned her head slightly and some on the ritual table caught her eye. "Ello, what's this?" She approached the table and looked up on it's many items. The one that caught her eye was ancient amulet of sorts. It had a golden chain with small diamonds scatter throughout it and the center gen was a green emerald surrounded by eight diamonds that were slightly bigger than ones on the main chain.

"Looks like someone left their expensive jewelry lying around again," Zip said.

"That looks like an ancient amulet not older than the 16th century. It's in brilliant condition for its age," Alister said. "Lara, I know you usually don't like taking things from it's tomb, but could you bring that back so I can take a better look at it. I might be able to identify what sort of amulet it is and it's purpose."

"Alright Alister, only because you asked so nicely," Lara said with a small smile. She picked up the amulet carefully, worried that it might be more fragile than it appeared. She put it in her bag was gently as possible. She then looked ahead of her and saw something that actually scared her. "Well, I didn't see that when I walked in." It was a corpse being held up by it's arms by chains wearing a long blue dress that was now in tatters.  
"Oh wow, that's some seriously crazy stuff right there," Zip said. "Didn't they usually burn their witches?"

"She doesn't to appear to have been accused of being a witch because otherwise she would have been drowned," Lara said as she approached the corpse to better examine it. "No, it appears she was used for a ritual."

"Why do you say that Lara?" Alister asked curiously.

"She appears to be stabbed in the heart according to the tear in the dress," Lara explained. "This poor girl was used for a sacrificial ritual."

"My god, what king would allow this?" Alister asked in an almost angry tone. Lara looked over and saw a skeleton with a rusted crown next to its head and walked over to it.

"One that was a sacrifice himself," she said.

"What happened here is unspeakable. To sacrifice someone is one crime, but to sacrifice your own king is a death sentence.," Alister said in an almost worried manor. "Be careful Lara. I have a bad feeling about this place. Black magic like this never ended well, especially when it worked." Lara nodded and turned back to the exit.

"Well, let's see what else is down here and then I'll head out," she said. Lara walked out, but stopped short of going down when she heard footsteps. She backed herself against a wall and held her breathe.

"Has it responded yet?" Said a voice.

"Nope, the spirit is still unresponsive. I may have to do another spell to make it speak," Said another voice but it sounded more feminine.

"Well, do whatever you have to do. I believe Revereck came earlier because he left the door open again.," Said the voice. "He's lucky that no one comes here because they think it's cursed." The female voice chuckled.

"Yes, he is indeed," The voice said. "Well, in that case I am going out to gather some things for the spell. I will get it to talk." Lara looked down and sees to figures part ways. The female figure went the way Lara had come and the other went the opposite direction.

"Did you catch that?" Lara asked.

"So there were witches down here," Zip said.

"Lara, get out of there it's too risky," Alister said. "We've seen what black magic does. If she can really do it then, it's not worth the risk. Especially, if it involves that amulet."

"More the reason to keep it then," Lara said. "And your right Alister. It is too risky, but it looks like I am going to have to find my own way out." She looked down to see if anyone was down below her. When she saw no one, she jumped down and began to cautiously continue into the ruins. After awhile, she entered a very spacious room, which was more like cave.

"Lara, up there," Alister said. Lara looked up and sees a peek of sunshine coming through a rather large gap in the upper part of the wall.

"The outside. Well how we getting out then if that is up there?" Zip asked. Lara walked over to the wall and looked up at the opening.

That's easy, Zip," Lara said as she grabbed one of the ledges. "We climb." She began to climb up the wall with ease and was soon looking out from the opening.

"Whoa, would you look at that view," Zip said. The sun was setting over twin mountain peaks and the lake was shimmer with the last of daylight.

"Whoa, would you look at that view," Zip said. The sun was setting behind twin peaked mountains and the lake shimmered with the last of the sunlight. Lara looked downward at the lake and they all see how high they really are.

"Perfect time for a swim isn't it," she said as she looked upon the lake. Before the two could even protest to the idea, Lara swan dived off of the ledge and down to the water. She successfully hit the water and swam up to its surface.

"Don't. Ever. Do That. Again," Alister said with a deep breaths nearly in between each word.

"Yeah, Alister almost fainted when you did that," Zip said with a slightly concerned, but joking tone. Lara laughed a bit and swam over to land. She got out of the water and reached into her bag, pulling out the green gem amulet.

"Whatever this is, I have a feeling I'm glad I took it," Lara said as she turned back to where she dived off. "And I have a feeling that we will be seeing that woman again, especially if she needs this."

"Well, for now, let's get you home. Just head to the extraction point and we'll get you outta there," Zip said. Lara nodded and turned back away from the cliff face. She then began her journey home, unknowing what she carried in her satchel.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: A Spirit's Cry

Lara was soon home with her teammates Alister and Zip at Croft Manor. They sat down on the couch talking about the whole endeavor and talking about the castle itself. Zip was lying on one of the couches and Alister was sitting at his feet in the proper sitting. Lara herself was sitting on the couch across from them with her satchel on the the coffee table in front of her. Alister looked down for a second not saying anything for a good fifteen minutes on the matter. He stood up and walked over to Lara. She turned to him and looked up at him curiously.

"Lara, may I take a look at that amulet you found down there?" Alister said as he sat down next to her. Lara smiled at him and grabbed her bag.

"Sure, Alister. Besides, I did bring it back for you," She said as she reached into the satchel. She carefully pulled out the amulet. Alisters eyes almost lite up as he saw the magnificent artifact.

"It is more beautiful in person," Alister said as he saw it. Lara giggled and handed the artifact to Alister. Alister took the amulet carefully and turned the gemstone towards himself. "This is an astonishing gem. It's condition is superb. Oh, I wish it could tell me how it lasted this long." Zip chuckled at his friends reaction to the necklace. The necklace had a slight glow to it, but no one seemed to notice it due to them laughing at Alisters reaction.

"Hello?" Said an unknown voice. Everyone jumped at the sudden greeting and they all began to look around for the mysterious guest. Lara stood up and looked around the room, grabbing one of her pistols for protection.

"Who's there?" Lara called out into the room. When no one responded she pointed her pistol and slowly began to scan the room. "Don't make me ask twice." Alister stood up and looked around. He noticed the amulet in his hands now had a slightly glow to it and became curious.

"Hello?" He asked as he looked at it.

"Can you hear me?" Said the voice in response. Lara slowly turned to Alister as the voice came from where he was standing. Zip looked to Alister to as his confused and nervous look.

"Did that rock just talk?" Zip asked as he looked at Alister. Alister looked at his friends and then back at the glowing amulet.

"Yes, can you hear me?" He said as he spoke to the green glowing emerald. The gem glowed more as if it was more excited.

"Oh, thank-goodness. I thought I would never be able to speak again," Said the voice. That's when the three friends realized that the voice was coming from the amulet itself.

"Ok, what is going on?" Zip said as he sat up, looking at Alister. Alister shrugged and looked back at this amulet in his hands.

"Um...pardon me, but I'm a little confused on this," Alister said as he brushed his hair back a bit. "Ok, um….may I ask how you are talking to us?"

"I am a spirit that's been trapped in this amulet for millennia," The voice said. Alister sat back down on the couch with this amulet and looked at Lara. Lara sat down next to him and looked over the stone curiously.

"How did you get trapped in there?" Lara asked. The voice didn't respond, which caused Lara to ask again to make sure the voice heard her. There was still no response. Aliser, becoming a little worried, looked around and then back at the amulet.

"Hello?" He asked as he waited patiently and hopefully that the voice hadn't left.

"Yes?" Said the voice. Alister sighed out of relief and then straightened himself up. "Did you not hear Lara ask her question or did something happen?"

"No, nothing happened. I didn't respond because you did not ask," The voice said. I am responding to only your voice."

"What the heck does that mean?" Zip asked as he looked at Lara. Alister looked at Zip with a stern look and then back at the amulet.

"What do you mean by that exactly?" Alister said calmly.

"I vowed when I was trapped in this amulet that I would only respond to the one whose spirit and heart matched my own," The voice said. "I still have no idea why I was trapped to this very day though. I do remember how I got trapped." Alister looked at Lara with a look of confusion.

"Oh, I have an idea then," Alister said. "If my friends write down questions and I ask them to you will that be ok?" At first there was no response, but the stone glew again.

"That can be accepted," The voice said. Alister smiled and looked at Lara and Zip. Zip sighed and grabbed a nearby notepad and slide it to Lara, who grabbed a pen. Lara wrote down a on the notepad and pointed it to Alister.  
"Ok here is Lara's question, how did you get trapped with the amulet?" Alister asked as he looked at the necklace.

"I kinda figured one of you would ask that sooner or later," The voice said. A sad sigh is heard and the gem glowed a bit more. "I was the daughter of king, who ruled with kindness. We had a royal mage that would do spells and entertain us. The mage was actually a dark sorcerer, a witch. She had a secret lair where she would sacrifice poor people to gain more power. One day, she found a way to make her power even more great. She...she sacrificed my father. I saw it happen. She then noticed me and chained me up, she was happy I was there. I was what she needed." Alister's eyes softened at the sad story and he felt pity for this poor spirit.

"Then, she sacrificed you." Alister said.

"In a sense yes," The voice responded. "She made me vow many things. I can't remember half of them. I just no before she grabbed her knife I thought of a way to stop her dead in her tracks. I vowed that I would only respond whose heart and spirit matched my own and I would be awakened by the very touch of that person. There would be no other way to awake my spirit. She became outraged and sacrificed me anyway vowing she would find this person and continue her plans."

"You poor thing," Alister said. "I can't begin to imagine what that must have been like for you."

"I have a question," Zip said as he reached for the notepad. Lara handed it to him and he began to write. He turned it to Alister.

"Zip's question, even though it's kinda off topic, is what is your name?" Alister asked.

"I don't remember my full name, but I remember my first name," The voice said. "My name is Vianca."

"Well Vianca, you're in safe hands. I won't let anything happen to you," Alister said.

"Um...may I ask on what I call you. I know the names of Lara and Zip, but you have yet to say yours," Vianca asked. Alister realizing he has yet to exchange his formalities with her slapped himself on the forehead.

"Oh forgive me for my manners, I should know that formalities comes first," Alister apologized. "My name is Alister."

"Alister….I like that name," Vianca responded. Alister rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I'm glad that you found me before she found you." Alister looked back down at the amulet curiously.

"What do you mean by that? Surely, the which is long dead by now," He said reassuringly to the amulet.

"No, she's still around. She's been trying to get me to speak for millennia," Vianca said.

"Wait, that woman, Lara," Alister said.

"She must be the witch, I knew there was something about her that I didn't like," Lara said as she got up and began to pace around.

"We have to help, Vianca," Alister said as he got up. "There must be some way to separate her from the necklace and keep her from that…..that...well witch."

"You'll….you'll help me get out of this?" She asked. Alister looked back down at the amulet and a kind smile.

"Of course, you've been through so much. You deserve to be free," Alister said. The gem glowed brightly.

"Oh thank you!" Vianca said happily. Lara looked over at the window. What was that witch after, who was she, and why did she need this girl trapped in the amulet?


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Vianca's Beginning

The rest of the day, Alister kept the amulet close to him and the others asked her many questions. They learned she was 23 years old and her birthday was the exact day she died, which was December 14th. Alister talked for hours with this odd spirit, learning about the past and him teaching her about the present.

"And now instead of horse drawn carriages we have what we call cars that run a liquid fuel," Alister explained.

"Wow, and they move?" Vianca asked.

"Yep, just as well as horse, but half the time you don't have the hassle of getting it to listen to the driver," He answered with a bit of a chuckle.

"Oh, I wish I could see it for myself," Vianca said with a sad sigh. "But I guess it's for the best."

"Wait, you can't see anything? You can't see me?" Alister asked as he pointed the gemstone at himself.

"No, I can't. I am confined to the green glittery scenery of the gemstone," She said.

"Have you tried….to come out in some way? You know making like a human like persona?" He asked as he set the amulet on the table.

"No, I don't know what I can do," Vianca answered. Alister thought for a moment and looked around. Lara had gone on another mission and Zip was guiding her. Alister was currently in the library.

"Well, you know it doesn't hurt to attempt it. Why not try to?" Alister said as he sat back and waited. For a moment there was silence, but then a sigh was heard.

"Alright, I guess if I'm going to find out what I can and can't do it might as well be now," She said. The gem began to glow more and more. Alister put one of his arms up to help dim the bright glow. When the glowing dimmed more, Alister managed to look and he was in awe. There stood a green-like spirit with hair that went a little past her shoulders. She wore a dress that looked to be tattered at the bottom, it covered her feet. She opened her eyes, which were just a bright green. "It...it…" She looked to be surprised as she noticed what had happened. Alister got up and walked over to her.

"It worked," He said as he took her hand. She looked up at him and sees him for the very first time.

"I'm really here. I can't believe it," Vianca said as her excitement showed. Alister smiled happily at her. She began to run around happily, feeling as free as could be. Until, she got so far that she was suddenly pulled back towards Alister. He caught her quickly as she fell back.

"Are you alright?" Alister asked as he helped her back up. She nodded and looked over to the amulet.

"I guess I can't get too far from the amulet," Vianca said as she looked away. "I should've known that I wasn't truly free yet." Alister grabbed the amulet and put it around is neck.

"There, now we can go places and you don't have to worry," Alister said. "Besides, I did say I would keep you safe, didn't I?" Vianca stared at him for a bit, but then a small smile appeared on her face and she nodded at him. "Now, let's go see Zip." He held out his hand to her and she gently placed her hand in his. Alister led her out of the library and to where Zip was. He poked his head in to see Zip guiding Lara through some ruins. Alister smiled evilly to himself and silently walked in. Vianca tilted her head to the side as he walked up behind Zip. He slowly approached him and made sure Lara was in a safe place before he did anything. Alister suddenly grabbed Zips shoulder and yelled "BOO!" Zip yelled and jumped up, turning around to see who was behind him.

"Zip, what's going on?" Lara asked from her current position. Alister fell over laughing and Vianca was confused. She walked up to Alister, who was laughing on the floor. Zip saw Vianca and yelled out of fear again this time falling down. "Zip?" Vianca walked over to Zip and held out her hand.

"Are you alright, Zip?" Vianca asked as she held out her hand to him. Zip just looked at her for the longest time, before Alister sat up and spoke.

"Oh Zip, you should have seen your face," Alister said as he wiped a tear away from his eye. He sees what's going on now and began to laugh again. "Zip, you don't have to be scared of her. That's Vianca." Zip looked over at Alister with annoyance and then looked back at the green spirit before him.

"Vianca, the spirit from the necklace?" Zip asked Vianca nodded and continued to hold her hand out to him. Zip took her hand and she helped him up.

"Zip, are you there? Is everything alright?" Lara asked again a little more frantic. Zip grabbed his headset, which fell on the floor and put it on.

"I'm fine, Lara. Alister and Vianca just scared the crap out of me," He said. Lara chucked a bit. "Oh, did you know that Vianca can appear outside of her amulet as a green ghost. I didn't."

"No, I didn't, Zip. I might just have to see this myself once I'm done here," Lara said as she went back to climbing. Alister got up off the floor and put a hand on Zip's shoulder again.

"I'm sorry Zip, but I couldn't resist." Alister said as he was still laughing. "I came to show you what Vianca can do and then I saw an opportunity."

"Yeah, you know what i see," Zip said as he looked up at Alister. Alister looked at him questioningly. "An opportunity to do this." Zip quickly grabbed Alister and began to give him a noogie.

"Ah, no!" Alister said as he attempted to get away. Vianca instantly thought he was hurting him and went over there.

"What are you doing? Stop it," She said as she grabbed Zip's arm and tried to pull him off. Zip let go of Alister, who instantly backed up and tried to fixed his hair.

"Vi, it was fine. Do you not know what a noogie is?" Zip asked as he looked at her. Vianca let go of Zip's arm and was looking at him curiously.

"A noogie?" She asked as she said the word to herself a couple times. Alister fixed his hair and walked over to Vianca.

"A noogie is when someone grabs you and turns their hand to a fist, proceeding to rub their knuckles on your scalp back and forth really fast. It messes up your hair and can hurt depending on who is doing it," Alister explained. "Don't worry it's not meant to harm you tho. It's supposed to be funny." Vianca looked at Zip and then back at Alister.

"It didn't look fun," Vianca said as she continued to look up at him. She noticed a part of his hair was out of place and she reached her hand up. Alister was confused on what she was doing, but stayed in place. She fixed that part of his hair and then lowered her hand. "You missed a spot."

"Thank you," Alister said calmly. Zip smiled over at the two and quickly noticed the amulet around Alister's neck.

"Oh, you're wearing it," Zip said as he turned in his chair to him. Alister looked over at him and realized what he was talking about.

"Oh yeah, Vianca can't go very far away from it, so I decided to put it on she can walk around more," Alister said as he looked down at the amulet. Zip smiled more and looked back to his monitor. Vianca walked over to Zip curiously and looked over his shoulder. She saw a girl jumping and climbing a ruin-like place.

"Who is that?" She asked as she pointed at the screen. Zip chuckled at her curiosity and continued to do what he was doing.

"That's Lara. She's basically our field agent. She goes into Tombs and abandoned places and finds out what happened there and finds ancient artifacts," Zip said as he looked back at her. "That's how she found you. She went to that castle and found the amulet. Then, she brought it back at Alister's request and presto now you're here." Vianca looked back at Alister, but then back at the monitor. She instantly saw something from afar in the video feed. She saw a few guys with guns ahead of Lara, and she was heading straight for them.

"Look out!" She said as she pointed.

"What's going on now?" Lara asked as she stopped to talk. Vianca looked around and saw one of those things that Zip was using. She grabbed it and held the soft part up to her mouth.

"There a people up ahead with weapons. You're heading straight for them," Vianca answered as she continued to look at the screen. Lara looked around at her surroundings a little more cautiously.

"I don't see anyone, are you sure?" She asked as she continued to look around.

"Trust me, I can see things a little...differently with me being a spirit now. I can see what appears to a group of 4 men and they are carrying rather big weapons. They look like weird versions of muskets," Vianca explained. Alister started to like freak out a bit from hearing this. Zip looked over at him and gave him a weird look.

"Are you ok buddy?" Zip asked him seeing his reaction.

"She had muskets back in her time," Alister said as the historian part of him showed. Zip chuckled and turned back to his monitor.

"So, there's that they have guns, they are not friendly," Zip said as he looked at Vianca. "Those musket looking things are present day guns, which are way more lethal." Vianca looked at him worriedly and then back at the screen.

"Thank you for the heads up, Vianca," Lara said as she began to climb up a wall to get a better look. Vianca smiled and put down the headset. She walked back over to Alister, who was still having a geek moment.

"You ok, Alister?" She asked as she looked up at him. Alister noticed the way he was acting and quickly straightened himself up.

"Yes, I'm sorry. I love hearing about those kinds of things and sometimes I can get carried away," Alister said as he rubbed the back of his head and a small blush appeared on his face. Vianca giggled sweetly at him and smiled up at him.

"If you wish to know more about my time, then I won't hesitate to answer your questions," She said as smiled up at him. Alister looked at her and then smiled down at her kindly. Vianca felt happy to be around such kind people and be near someone so interested historical moments. She felt alive there.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Vows

It had been a few days since then and everything seemed to be going pretty well. Alister and Vianca talked for hours upon hours on the old and new things of their world's. They truly enjoyed each other's company. Alister and Vianca sat in the library talking as always.

"We're they really?" Alister asked listening to every word she uttered.

"Yes, the towers rose so high it was almost as if they kissed the sky," Vianca said as she giggled a bit.

"Fascinating, I still can't begin to imagine what it was like for people to build that big of a structure with mainly stone," Alister said as he leaned back in his chair for a moment only to sit back up again. "Now, we've built structures known as Skyscrapers. They are buildings composed of metal and with glass windows and some have pointed tips. The look like they are just scraping the edge of the sky.

"Wow, we only had enough metal to make weapons, armor, and a few other things," Vianca said as she just looked down slightly. "I miss those days….I miss my father." She looked away, sadness in her eyes. Alister instantly noticed this and gently touched her hand.

"It'll be alright. We'll find a way to fix this and get the one that did this to you," He said in a comforting and reassuring voice. Vianca looked at him and their eyes met. She managed to bring a small smile to her face.

"Thank you, Alister. I hope we can," She said. She looked at the amulet around Alister's neck. "At least I hope we can catch her before she does this to anyone else." Alister gently touched the amulet and then looked at her.

"One thing still bothers me tho," He said as he brought his hand to his chin. Vianca looked at him curiously.

"Oh, what is that?" She asked tilting her head to the side.

"Out of all the people that she could have done this to, why did she choose you?" Alister asked as he thought it over. Vianca was silent but ended up speaking anyway.

"She told me that I had been the one she has been waiting for," Vianca said with a bit of hesitancy in her voice. Alister looked at her.

"She said that? Why didn't you tell us this earlier?" Alister asked. Vianca shifted a bit in her seat.

"Two of my many vows that I remember making was well..one I must answer every question that is asked of me," Vianca answered. "And that the question had to be worded a certain way for specific answers."

"So almost like a genie besides all the wishing," Alister asked.

"In a sense yes," Vianca answered, looking away. "It didn't really make sense when I vowed it but now that I'm out I understand it." Alister put a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look at him.

"I'm sorry I didn't know," He said. "Well then, I vow to never allow this women to use you for any of her dark purposes. She'll have to pry this amulet from my cold, dead hands before she can get to you." Vianca's eyes widened at this sudden vow and looked down again as if she was blushing.

"Alister, you won't have to die for me," Vianca said as she looked at him again. This time looking him straight in the eyes. "There is another vow I made before she trapped me." Alister looked at her curiously.

"And that would be?" He asked as he tilted his head. Vianca looked at him and smiled with a bit of kindness yet there seemed to be a slight sense of worry.

"I made a vow that no harm would come to wearer of the amulet. I don't know quite what I can do yet, but I feel something," She answered. "I can't quite describe it but I feel stronger than when I was first put into the amulet." Before Alister could continue the conversation, the doors of the library opened. They turn to look and see Lara walk in from her latest adventure.

"Ah Lara, any news?" Alister asked as he smiled at his friend. Vianca smiled too and waved at her. Lara waved back and sat down on the couch across from them.

"I don't know yet. Zip is searching for matchings of these hieroglyphics I found and trying to translate them," Lara answered. She looked at Vianca who was sitting there quietly and then looked at Alister. "How's she holding up?" Alister looked at Vianca, who looked at him.

"How are you holding up, Vianca?" Alister asked as he waited for her answer.

"I'm doing fine. I'm a little...I guess you can say I'm home sick," She answered as she looked down. "I miss everyone from my time. It's going to take a long time before I'm used to the new things here within this time." Alister placed a hand on her shoulder attempting to comfort or reassure her in some way. Before he could say anything to make her feel better, the door to the library swung open. They all turn and see Zip run in.

"What's wrong Zip?" Lara asked as she stood up. Zip ran over to Lara and was trying to catch his breath.

"I found...I found something," Zip said, taking deep breaths. "I've...I've match the hieroglyphics with similar ones in some other ruins. There are more places where this sort of thing was done and I think we might find some answers at this one considering it's unoccupied."

"Great, make the usual arrangements Zip," Lara said as she nodded at him. Zip nodded and ran back out of the library. Lara began to walk out as well, but Alister grabbed her arm, stopping her. "Is something wrong, Alister?"

"I want you to take Vianca with you," Alister said as he took off the amulet and held it out to Lara. She looked down at it and then looked back up at him. Vianca got up and walked over to him.  
"What are you doing?" Vianca asked.

"You said you would protect anyone who wears the amulet correct?" Alister asked as he looked back at her. She nodded at his question but still looked to be a bit worried. "Then you should go with Lara to protect her and plus if she is near anything you recognize then you can let her know." Vianca looked at Lara then back at him.  
"Are you sure about this Alister? I know how protective you are of her," Lara asked as she awaited for her answer. Alister nodded still holding out the amulet to her.

"I trust you with this more than anyone and I'll be seeing her through the video feed. Plus, I'll see her as soon as you're back," He said with a smile on his face. "I am trusting you with her safety and I trust her to keep you safe." Vianca smiled somewhat at him. Lara sighed and gently took the amulet, putting it around her neck.

"I won't let anything happen to her I promise," She said with a gentle smile. Alister nodded at her and turned to Vianca, who was looking down slightly. Alister walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We'll see eachother again before you know it, Vianca," He said with a kind smile. "I will be helping to guide Lara throughout the ruins so it'll be like I'm right there. If we want to find anything about what happened to you, then you need to go with her to so we can see if we can reverse this. You're the only one that has seen the ritual." Vianca nodded and looked up at him.

"I will do my best to do my part then," She said as she smiled somewhat. Alister looked at Lara, who smiled at him. Vianca glowed her soft green and had vanished. The amulet itself began to glow that soft green.

"See you soon, Alister. I promise I'll keep her safe," Lara said as she gently touched the gemstone of the amulet. Alister nodded and watched as Lara left the library, taking the thing he cared about most with her.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Angel Vail

Lara climbed up one of the broken spires that reached for the sky. She stood up and stared over the ruins of an ancient temple. It to be about 100 years old at least and was obviously in ruins. She found a way down and began to walk down the broken path to the temple itself. The temple was perched on top of the a mountain pass and the locals often said that it was cursed. Lara placed a finger on her ear piece.

"Ok, I'm here. Are these the ruins Zip?" Lara asked as she waited for a response.

"Yeah, thats the Temple of Zinhaku of Japan. It's a very old temple and has been abandoned for literally centuries," Zip said in his usual calm tone. "It's said that a tribe of natives use to worship here, but then suddenly up and vanished. The fun part is that to this day, no one has figured out what has happened to them."

"That would explain why the surrounding villages think that this place is cursed. That kind of legend would've scared anyone away from these ruins," Lara said as she continued to walk towards the temple's entrance.  
"Anyone except you," Zip added with a bit of a chuckle. Lara laughed a bit as well and looked at the entrance to the temple. The gem of the amulet began to glow somewhat.

"I don't know how I feel about this, Lara," Vianca's voice said in a nervous tone. Lara looked down at the amulet with a bit of a surprised look.  
"I didn't expect you to be able to talk to me, considering that you said you only could speak with Alister," Lara said as she continued to look at the amulet.

"Hey, I can talk to you can't I...hm curious," Vianca said with the same confused tone. "I guess I can only speak to whoever has the amulet. This is strange but I guess good in your case." Lara smiled down at the amulet and the looked at the entrance.  
"Well then, let's get into this temple," Lara said. "I know you don't know if this is a good idea, Vianca, but if we are to find anything out then we have to go to places that can lead us to answers." Vianca was silent, but knew she was right. Lara went into the ruins, unknowing of what lied inside.

It looked like a simple walk through, but Lara knew better than that. She picked up a small rock and tossed it forward a bit. It landed a bit away and a couple spears came down on it and made a loud clang-like noise.

"Oh my," Vianca said as she sees the spikes come up. "I'll try to keep an eye out for traps. I don't know how I was able to see the dangers before so I'll try to let you know." Lara nodded and proceeded forward through the ruins.

After awhile of traps and Vianca's warning of dangers. Lara came to a chamber that caught her interest. It was a large circular room with murals on the ceilings with odd language in each one.

"Alister, can you translate this?" Lara asked as she looked at each mural.

"It's in the ancient writing of the native people here. It says something of a prophecy," He answered. "It says a dark one will rise in great power in the arts of the shadows of forbidden practice. They will use those around them to gain more power. They would sacrifice that of fair and royal blood in order to gain power far greater than they imagine. The world would be in their evil clutches." The amulet around Lara's neck glowed that green and Vianca appeared near. She wasn't looking at the murals but at something else in the room.

"What is it, Vianca?" Lara asked as she looked at her spirit friend. Vianca pointed toward the center of the room. Lara looked and sees what she is staring at. There was a three rectangle tables in the middle of the room. The ones on the left and right seemed to have some sort of medieval equipment on them. It was the center one that she was interested in. The center had a skeleton on it. Vianca walked up to the skeleton and looked at it. The skeleton itself was wearing torn and aged royal like clothes.

This is how my father died. Lying on a stone table with a stab wound into the heart," Vianca said in a sorrowful voice, as she traced the area of the cloth where the knife obviously went through. "Then it was my turn." Lara walked up and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's alright, Vianca. We'll set this right," Lara said reassuringly. "We just need to figure out what exactly went on here." Vianca stiffened and looked towards Lara but not quite at her. Lara looked confused. Vianca's eyes widened as she realizes what was happening.

"Lara!" She yelled and went in front of her with her arms out forward. A green like vail or field came over the two as multiple gunshots are heard.

"Who is shooting at us?" Lara said as she got out her pistols. Vianca looked forward to see men in some sort of black clothes.

"They all have black clothes and are carrying those guns Alister talked about," Vianca said as she kept the protecting field up. Lara got ready to jump over the table for cover.

"Vianca, when I tell you to, go back into the amulet," Lara instructed. Knowing that she could not disagree with her, Vianca nodded and awaited for Lara's command. Lara took a deep breath. "Now!" Lara began to run and Vianca disappeared into the amulet. Lara dove over the table and hid behind the stone for cover for the shots being shot at her.

She shot back a couple times, being able to kill a couple. Vianca reappeared right behind Lara to bring up a smaller version of the protective shield to block some bullets coming at her from behind. Lara smiled a bit seeing that this would be a little easier than her normal encounters.

After a while Lara stood there breathing a little heavy after the long fight. Vianca stood near her looking around at the mayhem. Lara put her guns away and placed a hand on Vianca's shoulder, causing her to look at Lara.

"I know that this isn't an easy sight to look at, but it was either us or them," Lara said. Vianca nodded slowly to agree. Something in one of the men's hands caught Vianca's eye, which she pointed out to Lara.

"He has something on him," She said as she pointed to the dead man on the stone ground. Lara looked and sees it too. She walked over and grabbed the paper in the man's hand. "What does it say?" Lara began to read the note aloud.

"This is a direct order from the boss. She wants the one in the tomb dead, no exceptions. She will have an ancient artifact with her. The artifact has to be retrieved unharmed at all costs.

Signed D"

"They were sent to kill you, Lara," Zip said. "I'm mean like hitman style."

"We have bigger problems than that, Zip," Lara said. "They weren't just after me. They said something about an artifact. I think they are referring to the amulet, or should I say Vianca." Vianca looked down at the men again, noticing this was most likely caused because of her.

"I….I didn't want," Vianca said as she looked away. "I didn't want anyone to get hurt like this…." Vianca continued to look down at her feet. Lara looked at her and sees the sorrow in her eyes. Lara walked over to her and got her to look up at her.

"Hey, it'll be ok," Lara said, she placed a finger to her ear piece. "Zip, Alister, we need to figure out what happened here and quick. No doubt there will be more of them within the next few hours if they don't hear back from this group."

"Right," They both said. Lara got to work uncover what was going on with the room. Vianca went over to a wall to stay out of the way, but still near enough to Lara that she didn't get pulled straight back due to the amulet. She looked at the wall as Lara continued to work. She could tell something was off about the placements of the bricks. It had a different pattern than the rest of the room. She began to feel about the wall trying to find something. She found a small brick that was loose. She smiled a bit and tried pulling out, but it didn't budge. Then, she pushed it and a loud rumbling was heard. Lara turned around and sees a secret stone door entrance opening up before her. Vianca standing in the middle of it. She turned around and smiled.

"I found something," She said proud of herself. Lara smiled and walked over to her.

"Good job, Vianca," Lara said. "Now, there are probably going to be traps and dangers up ahead. I'll probably be busy solving the puzzles to them. You'll guard my back?" Vianca nodded and they both walked down the stairs into the rest of the ruins.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Last Action

The two continued down the stairs of the mysterious passage that was opened up. Lara was using her flashlight that was attached to her utility belt to help see. Vianca was helping a bit because she gave off a green glow, which helped light up some of the walls a bit. When they finally reached the bottom of the stairs, Lara cautiously pulled out one of her pistols. Vianca looked around hoping to see something of sorts. She couldn't see anything, but she felt something. This feeling she did not like.

"Lara, I don't know about this….this place it feels…..restless," Vianca said as she looked to Lara. Lara walked forward a bit, continuing to look around.

"We have to keep going Vianca. We have to know what went on here, or at least get another lead somewhere else," Lara said as they continued to walk. "As long as we don't touch anything we'll be good. We just don't need to activate any traps." Vianca looked forward a few feet and something made her grab Lara and stop her.

"Don't walk there," Vianca said as she stared down at Lara's feet. Lara looked down and sees she is at the end of a tile. It looked like an ordinary stone tile. Vianca got Lara to go around it and once she was at a safe distance, Vianca went back over to the tile.

"Vianca want are you doing?" Lara asked. Vianca didn't' answer. She stepped on the tile with her entire weight. The tile sank in and the floor began to collapse itself. "Vianca!" When the dust cleared, Lara looked to see Vianca floating above a giant crevasse that had opened up below her. At the bottom there were sharp spikes with what appeared to be dried up blood and skeletons. Vianca walked along the air and onto the stable ground in front of Lara.

"Danger is everywhere in places like this. This is meant to be sacred ground. There were places like this back in my time," Vianca said. "No one dared to go through them due to the fear of curses and demons that was rumored to be within. My father ventured into many to vanquish evils that threatened our kingdom. He told me stories of the challenges he faced." Vianca looked at Lara and sees the look of surprise on her face.

"Vianca, you just...did you not see…" Lara said pointing at Vianca's feet. "I mean I understand that you're technically a ghost, but did you not realize that you were walking on air?" Vianca looked down at her feet and the turned to the trap that she triggered.

"I mean, I knew that the trap opened up and I did expect to fall in with it," Vianca said. "I just knew that most likely I get sent back to the amulet if I got too far away. I realized that I was floating after the piece of floor under me went. I guess it's a good thing i'm a ghost, but I don't know how to control the floating thing yet." Lara's earpiece made some noise and she put her hand to it.

"What was that, Zip?" Lara asked as she waited on a response. Instead of Zip's voice, she heard a very concerned one.

"Don't you ever do that again, Vianca!" Said the familiar voice of Alister. "You nearly gave me a heart attack." Vianca smiled a little bit at the concerned voice and laughed slightly.

"Alister sit down," Zip said as the noise someone moving was heard. "Yeah, Alister nearly fainted when you did that, but I'll have to say you going to come in pretty handy if you can find traps like that, Vi." Lara smiled and looked at Vianca, who was still a little giggly about the concerned voice of Alister.

"Shall we keep going?" Lara asked as she smiled at Vianca. Vianca stopped laughing, but continued to smile.

"Yeah, let's keep going," Vianca agreed. They continued, delving deeper into the tomb. It felt like hours had past as they continued to go through, dodging traps, Vianca helping leading the way. They eventually came into a very large chamber, decorated to the brim with old artifacts of the past.

"This place looks almost like a throne room, or at least somewhere for very royal social gatherings," Lara said as they cautiously entered the room. Vianca walked around and looked at all the many tattered tapestries that hung on the crumbling columns. She walked ahead of Lara, but not so much to get out of range of her. Lara moved with Vianca a bit, so she could also look around, but she was also on guard. Vianca slowly came up to the throne. The throne itself was crumbling a bit as well. The fabric of the chair was torn and dirty, and there was stuffing of the chair that had come out. It was still a rather large throne.

"What is a throne doing at the bottom of a tomb?" Vianca asked as she looked over to Lara. "It just doesn't seem right."

"I don't know….what do you think Alister?" Lara asked as she put her hand to the earpiece again.

"It might have been a kingdom here once before and what we saw at the top was actually part of the castle," Alister said. "What if the castle, is buried?" Vianca looked back at the throne and then back the direction they came.

"It would seem that way," Lara said as she let her hand fall. "Well, we're in a buried castle where possibly some dark magic occurred." Vianca walked behind the throne to see if anything was there. She made a small sound of fear due to the fact that she got startled. Lara pointed her gun in the direction Vianca stood.

"No, don't worry. I didn't expect to find a skeleton behind here," Vianca said as she pointed. Lara came around and saw the same sight. A skeleton wearing a long dress with it's back against the throne. It had a stab wound to the chest. Vianca put her hand over where she remembers the sharp pain and the looks back at the skeleton. About a feet away from the skeleton, Vianca noticed a broken amulet; a similar one to her own. "Lara, this girl….she died the same way I did. That horrible witch tried to do it to her, or at least someone tried to do it. It just...didn't work."

"Oh my goodness, I hoped that I would never have to see that sight again, but I guess some things can't be helped," Lara said as she holstered her gun. Vianca sat down near the skeleton and looked at it.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you. I know you cannot hear me, but if you somehow can, I hope your at ease," She said sorrowfully. Vianca noticed something sticking out from behind the girl's back. She reached over and grabbed the object. When she pulled it out, she noticed that it was a journal. "Please, pardon all these intrusions, but this may help us." Vianca stood up and looked at Lara, handing her the book. Lara took it and opened up the leathery journal. The pages were yellow and some of the ink was slightly smudged, but readable. Lara flipped to the last entry of the journal and read the following aloud:

"March 25th 1874,

I finally found the proof I need to prove to my father that she is evil. I found her in her chambers and I... saw her. I saw her using someone as a sacrifice last night. She took blood from the corpse and put in clear phials. I don't know why she would even think to collect the blood, but I do know that one phial of the stuff is enough proof to my father that she is a witch. Once I get that phial, I can truly give her what she deserves."

"I'm going to guess that she didn't get very far with her plan," Lara said as she looked to the skeleton. Vianca looked down at her feet with sad eyes. "Oh, there's more." Vianca looked up and awaited for possibly an answer.

"I have to write this fast due to my life leaving and coming to an end. I managed to snatch a phial of the liquid, but it wasn't the blood. I accidently grabbed one with this black substance instead, but it is still enough. I can tell that this is still something she shouldn't have. Now, it doesn't matter. My father was already dead. I got hurt while I ran from the witch. She kept yelling at me about being a thief and to return the phial. I knew she needed whatever the phial was. I managed to escape, but I know my time is short. I hide the phial in this room. If anyone reads this, then stop the witch before there is no way to stop her. This will be my final farewell." Vianca looked back at the skeleton lying on the ground and Lara carefully close the journal back up.

"This girl was killed just like me, Lara," Vianca said as she bent down to the skeleton's level once again. "Except, she figured out who this 'witch' really was but wasn't fast enough." Lara placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We'll catch this woman, Vianca. Don't you worry," Lara said, reassuringly." Well, maybe we can find that phail that she hid. That way we may have a lead." Vianca slowly nodded and stood up. They began to search around the room for this phial of black liquid. After a few moments, Lara accidently bumped a chair, knocking it over. The chair fell, hitting the ground hard. As it hit the ground, something fell out of the fabric of the chair and rolled over to Vianca's feet. Vianca bent down and picked up the item. It was clear phial stained on the inside with this black liquid.

"Lara I think this is it," She said as walked over to her and held out the small bottle. Lara took it and examined it.

"Well, I guess she wasn't kidding when she said she hid it," Lara said with a small smile. "Let's get out of here. Maybe we can learn more about whatever is in here. It could lead us to a another piece of the puzzle." Vianca nodded and they both turned to head back the way the came. The place began to shake. Vianca fell onto a chair next to her due to loss of balance. The entrance to chamber started to crumble and fall apart until there was nothing but rocks and debris in their way.

"Well, it looks we won't be getting back that way." Vianca said as she stood up again. "I guess this place wasn't as stable as we initially thought." Lara looked around and noticed a sizeable crack in the wall. She walked over to it, Vianca following behind her. Lara peered down the crack. She saw what appeared to be the flicked of fire hopefully from a torch mounted on a wall.

"Do you think it might be a way out?" Vianca asked. Lara looked back at her and nodded.

"It looks big enough for me to fit through," Lara answered. "You may want to go back in the amulet for this Vianca." Vianca nodded, knowing that while Lara wore the amulet she couldn't really disobey. Vianca disappeared back into the amulet again and Lara began to slowly make her way through to the other side. It was still a tight fit, but she was managing. She had stop every now and then to re-position herself to continue going through. Eventually, she made it. She entered the hall of the ruins and looked around. Lara soon realized that she and Vianca had been in this hallway before. Vianca reappeared and looked around as well.

"I remember this place. If we just go this way, then we should get out," Vianca said as she began to walk down the hallway. Lara smiled and followed Vianca with no hesitation. They walked for a while until they came to the large gap of the floor that caved in.

"Alright, I know how to get across this," Lara said with a confident nod. "Vianca, you go ahead and head back into the amulet, next thing you'll know is that we'll be back at home." Vianca nodded and did as she was told. Lara unhooked the grappling part of her belt and threw it up onto a bar that was hanging from the ceiling. She pulled it tight and swung across the gap. She made the landing on the other side and retracted her grapple. Lara smiled at the gap and made her way out of the ruins.

 **I'm so sorry about all the typos and the sentence structures that were in this. I went back and fixed all of my errors. I hope you all can forgive this. I plan to proofread my documents before submitting them from now on. I understand that this is fanfiction and grammar truth be told doesn't really matter, but when even the one whom wrote the piece can't even make sense of it then we have a problem. I hope this helps those whom got confused while reading this.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Trouble In Paradise

Lara sat there in the car that Winston, her butler, came and picked her up in. She sat there looking down at the journal that they found in the ruins. She couldn't believe that this has all happened before, that it was just a repetition of events until it happened to poor Vianca. The necklace glew and Vianca appeared in the seat next to her.

"What is this?" Vianca as she looked so confused of the new environment. "I've never seen this sort of contraption before." Lara chuckled to herself and put the book back in her bag.

"This is known as a car, Vianca," Lara said as she looked at her. "It can be drove by one person, with no need for much effort except for what the machinery in the car does. I believe Alister told you about cars at some point." Vianca thought for a moment and then nodded.

"Ah, he did. He told that these are your versions of carriages. They operate without any use of a horse at all," Vianca said as she looked out the window. "Are those...skyscrapers?" Lara laughed again at her amusement and smiled at her.

"No, those are just houses and some of them being apartments. We aren't in a city yet, so you won't see any skyscrapers til we get there," Lara said. "I am so glad that you are having fun, Vianca." Vianca looked at her and smiled.

"It's nice to be able to smile every now and then," Vianca said. "I just can't wait to be back. We have so much to do and who knows how little time we have to do it." Lara nodded and they sat there just talking for the rest of the voyage. They soon arrived at Croft Manor, but something didn't seem right, mainly because the doors looked to be wide opened. Lara stepped out of the car and Vianca followed.

"Something's not right here…." Lara said as she pulled out her pistol. Vianca sat there looking around questioningly, but suddenly everything around her became quiet. She could hear Alister, yelling as if he was hurt. She gasped as she came back out of the trance-like state.

"Lara, Alister is in trouble," Vianca said with a worried look. Lara looked at her and then looked back at the mansion.

"Winston, stay here and stay down," Lara called back. "Come one Vianca!" They both ran into the building and they could clearly hear the people moving around. Vianca soon went in front of Lara with that veil like shield again. Gunshots sounded from in front of them. Vianca looked back at Lara.

"It's those guys from before," Vianca said as she kept the veil up. Lara looked and sees that she's right. Those were the same guys from the ruins, well not the same ones but they worked for the same person. Lara pulled out her other pistol and began to fight. They eventually made it over to the desk where they found Zip laying there.

"Zip!" Lara said as she lifted him up. He slowly opened his eyes and smiled at her.

"About time you showed up," He said as he chuckled. "Don't worry, they just beat me pretty good. I think they were about to shoot me when y'all showed up."

"Good, at least your not dead," Lara said. Vianca looked around trying to see Alister. She stopped moving and focused. The world went silent around her again, but this time she could see where he was. He was hiding in some sort of cabinet, holding his leg. He seemed to be bleeding. The trance-like state stopped, causing her to gasp again.

"Lara, Alister is hiding in a cabinet, he's shot," Vianca said. "We need to find him." Lara nodded and managed to get Zip under the desk more.

"You stay here until I come back and get you," Lara said. She handed him one of her pistols. "Shoot anyone that isn't me." Zip nodded and took the gun. Lara stood up and looked at Vianca. The two ran to go find Alister. They ran into more of those men and managed to kill them. Vianca came into a room looking around frantically.

"Alister! Where are you?!" Vianca called as she looked around more. Behind her she heard the closet door open. She looked and walked over to it. Vianca then opened the closet door and sees Alister sitting there holding his leg as she saw in her vision. "Alister!" Vianca hugged him. Alister was surprised by the sudden hug, but smiled and hugged her back gently.

"Looks...like you and Lara found me...just in time," He said with hints of pain in his voice. Vianca let go of him and had a look of worry on her face as she sees his leg.

"It's ok, we'll have you better soon," Vianca said as she placed a hand on his knee. "Lara, I found him! He's bleeding hurry!" Lara soon came into the room and sees Alister.

"Alister, are you alright?" Lara said as she came over. "It looks like they got you pretty good." Alister nodded and looked back down at his leg.

"I'm alright...it just hurts a lot," He said. "The bullet went clean through my leg. I just couldn't really tend to it." Vianca was about to say something when she stood up and turned around. Her eyes flared a more green color and she raised her hand up towards the doorway.

"Go away!" She yelled as she shot a green aura-like ball at one those guys with guns who was standing at the door. Alister's eyes went wide seeing this and looked up at Vianca. Vianca calmed down and her eyes went back to normal and she let her arm fall to her side again.

"You didn't say you could do that," He said as he looked up at her questioningly. Vianca looked at him and realized what she did too.

"I...I didn't know," Vianca said as she looked at her hand. "There are a lot of things I can do that I didn't know about previously." Lara went over to the door and looked out. She sees a few more them skulking around some the rooms that they had. Lara took off the amulet and threw it to Alister, who in turn caught it.

"You need her here more than I do," Lara said. She looked over at Vianca. "Keep him safe and make sure that no one kills him, alright." Vianca nodded and Lara snuck out of the room, closing the door behind her. Alister sighed and put the amulet back around his neck. Vianca sitting there with him as they waited. Vianca couldn't help, but look at the gunshot wound that Alister took to the leg.

"If we were here just slightly faster, then maybe none of this would have never happened," She said as she looked down. "If I had been here, then you wouldn't have been hurt." Alister notices what she is saying and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Vianca, this isn't your fault," Alister said reassuringly. "There was no way of you knowing that they were coming here." Vianca looked back down at his leg, which she could see was stilling bleeding. She looked around and sees some small towels sitting on a table. She quickly went over and scooped them up. She came back over and sat down next to Alister with them. She manages to get his pants leg rolled up enough to see the wound and takes one of the towels to it. As soon as she touched his leg, Alister winced in pain, causing her to look at him.

"I'm sorry," She said as she continued with what she was doing. She wrapped the towel around his leg and held it there. "I….I wished I was here…" Vianca closed her eyes as she felt the guilt wash over her. Her hands began to glow and Alister felt a slight pinch of pain come from his leg. He was going to tell her to stop, but then the pain went away. The glowing faded and Alister just stared at her.

"Vianca, did you just?" Alister asked as he looked down at his leg. Vianca looked up at him with a confused look.

"Did I what?" She asked. She looked honestly confused about the question.

"Did you just...heal my leg?" Alister asked as he looked down at it again and back up at her. "It doesn't hurt anymore." Vianca eyes widened and looked down at his leg too. She unwrapped it carefully and sure enough the gunshot wound, that was bleeding so much, was gone.

"I can heal…." Vianca said as she looked at her hands. Alister smiled at her as he straightened himself up.

"Well, you learn something new everyday," Alister said with a small chuckle. Vianca smiled at him and hugged him again. Alister laughed and hug her too. After a while, Lara walked back in and sees Vianca and Alister smiling.

"That should be all of them," She said as she came into the room. "You look like you're doing better for someone who got shot in the leg." Alister smiled and managed to stand up.

"Luckily our friend Vianca here can heal," He said. "I probably wouldn't have survived the blood loss if it wasn't for her." Lara looked at Vianca.

"Ok, you can make a shield like veil, you float, sense when we're in danger, you can shoot like energy blasts, and you can heal," Lara said. "Is there anything you haven't done yet?" Vianca laughed at her comment, but then remembered Zip.

"Is Zip alright?" She asked. Lara nodded in response to the question.

"I went back and got Zip. He's laying on the couch in the library," Lara said. "If you two want you can go see him, he should be awake. I gotta go make sure Winston is alright." Alister nodded and Lara left them once again. They went to the library where Zip was sitting and went over to him.

"Zip, are you ok?" Vianca said as she sat down in front of the couch. Zip smiled at her and then looked over to see Alister.

"Alister, you're alright," He said. "How's the leg?" Alister looked down at it and then back at him.

"I'm just fine, Vianca here can heal," He said as he gestured to Vianca. Zip looked at her and she smiled at him.

"I can try to heal you if you like. I don't know quite how I did it, but I can try," Vianca said. Zip didn't really have time to answer as she set her hands down on his chest. Vianca closed her eyes and focused. A few seconds past, but her hands began to glow and soon the pain went away for Zip.

"Man Vi, you really do come in handy," Zip said with a laugh. He manages to sit up and Vianca smiled up at him. "I'm glad you're on our side."

"I'm glad I can help," Vianca said. They all talked for a while. Vianca mainly asking what happened. Lara soon came in with Winston and walked over to the group.

"Well, that was exciting," Lara said as she approached. "We got some work to do."

"What do you have in mind?" Alister asked as he waited. Lara pulled out a phial of black liquid.

"We need to figure out what this is," She said said. She then pulled out the journal. "We also have a journal from someone who went through this as well and we need to decipher it." Alister took the journal and looked through it for a second.

"I can handle this. I know more about the old English language than most do," He said. Zip reached for the phial and Lara gave it to him. He swished the liquid around in the glass container and nodded.

"I got whatever this stuff is," Zip said. "I'll get this thing figured out in no time." Vianca smiled at them and looked at Alister

"I hope the next place that I have to go isn't as….sorrowful," Vianca said as she looked at him. Alister placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm hoping that it isn't either," Alister said as she smiled at her. Vianca nodded and looked down. Vianca felt like something was wrong. It chilled her and she didn't like it. Except, she didn't know where this strange ominous feeling was coming from.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Secret of the Liquid

They days had past, but still no news on the ingredients on the liquid and Alister wasn't quite done deciphering the journal. Lara decided to go check out some old ruins of castles, in hopes of finding something out. Vianca stayed back at the manor this time due to well wanting to be near to Alister just in case. Vianca finally figured out how to float and was sitting there floating in the library as Alister walked around grabbing books. He was using other books to compare to things in finds in the journal. Vianca looked over at him and sees him working. She smiled and looked at the bookshelf he was at. There were so many books that she almost thought there were thousands. Alister looked to be frustrated and she floated over.

"What's wrong, Alister?" She asked as she got him to look at her.

"I can't find this book. There a structure that is mention in the journal and I know there is a book on it here somewhere," Alister said as he continued his search. Vianca looked over his shoulder at the name of the structure and then looked up higher on the shelves. She scanned the books and found on with a green cover. The name of the structure was in gold letters on the spine. She grabbed it off the shelf and descended down behind Alister.

"Do you mean this one?" She asked as she held it out to him. He turned around and his eyes widened.

"Yes, that's it! Where did you find it?" Alister asked as he took it. Vianca chuckled and pointed up to the higher selves. Alister looked up and sees the missing spot on the bookshelf. 'Ah, so that's where it was. If I would've known that I would have gotten the ladder and saved you the trouble." Vianca laughed again and just smiled at him.

"I don't mind helping. It's the least I can do for all that you've done for me so far," Vianca said as she kicked at the ground. "I want...I want to help you Alister. I care about you." Alister looked at her as Vianca looked at the ground. He put down the books and gets Vianca to look at him.

"I care about you too Vianca, and I'm glad you want to help," Alister said with a smile. Vianca smiled up at him. Alister grabbed the books again and walked with Vianca back over to one of the couches. She slowly took the journal as Alister began to read into the book that she helped him find. She looked through the journal at the different entries. She came across one that caught her interest. She decided to read it while Alister was busy, but she didn't read aloud.

"November 14th 1872,

There is something wrong with the place my father told me about. He took me there yesterday after me begging him to take me to a dungeon of some sort. I can feel something wrong here. There is a weird presence, but I don't think he can sense it like I can. I looked around and found this weird piece of jewelry that was broken. It looked like a green emerald tied with some leathery wraps. I suppose someone dropped it, but I don't know."

Vianca dropped the journal as she read that part. It happened to so many more. It happened to more people after her, maybe even before her. She pulled her knees to her chest and was hugging herself, burying her face to hide her emotions. Alister turned and sees Vianca. His eyes widened and went over to her quickly, dropping the book he was reading. He placed his hands on her shoulders and tried to get her attention.

"Vianca? Vianca? Are you alright?" Alister asked as he became very concerned. She didn't respond and continued to keep her face down. He bent down to get a better look at the situation and look of worry took over any emotion he had. "Vianca, please answer me. What's wrong? You have to talk to me, please. Please, don't shut me out now." He waited again as he stared at her. She raised her hands to her head and gripped her hair as if something was truly troubling her. She spoke softly, but loud enough to be heard.

"How many?" She asked softly. Alister looked at her confused at the question.

"How many what, Vianca?" He asked. She looked at him and he saw what appeared to be tears running down her face.

"How many people suffered this fate that I have been given?" She said as she looked down again. "I can't bare the thought that the others who went through this didn't make and I am the only one. Why am I the only one?" The tears kept coming as she continued this break down. Alister managed to get her out of the position she was in and hugged her.

"Hey, come now, Vianca. It's alright, I got you," Alister said comfortingly as he patted on the back to try to get her to calm down. "I don't know how many people went through this and I don't know how you were the only one that seemed to work, but I do know that I won't let it happen again. I promise." Vianca hugged him tightly and just cried. It took a few moments, but she let go of him and he looked at her.

"I'm...I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me," She apologized as she wiped some of the tears away. "I read something in the journal and I guess…." Alister put a hand on her cheek which cut her off.

"It's ok, everyone has one of these moment. Yes, there not all the same, but it's ok," Alister said reassuringly. "If there is anything bothering you, anything at all, you can come talk to me ok. I'm here for you and I always will be." Vianca stared at him for a moment and a small smile appeared on her lips.

"How did I find someone as kind as you?" She said as another tear slips from her eyes. Alister reached over and wiped it away for her. He was smiling at her with pure kindness.

"You're the one that made the vow, you tell me," He said as he picked up the journal she dropped. Vianca looked away with what looked to be a small blush.

"Um...hey I found something in there," Vianca said as she slowly took the journal. She opened it back to the page she read. "It says that….there was another place where this happened maybe we can find more clues there?" Alister looked and his eyes widened.

"That's the place I was looking up," He said as he picked up the book he dropped and pointed to a picture in the book of the ruins. "Well, I guess we both found something." Vianca smiled at him as he chuckled.

"Let's go tell the others," Vianca said as she got up off the couch. Alister nodded and led her out. They came into a lab like room where Zip and Lara were. Zip was playing with the liquid that they had found trying to figure out what it was. "Whatcha doing?" They both turned around and sees them.

"Vianca, Alister, maybe you can help us figure this stuff out," Lara said as she turned back to the phial that Zip had in his hands. They walked up, Vianca on one side of Zip and Alister on the other.

"I don't know what to make of it. It doesn't seem to be made of anything besides random flowers and some other liquid which is hard to pinpoint," Zip said as he continued to swish it around.

"Have you tried all the tests?" Alister asked. Zip looked at him in a slight annoyance.

"Of course I have, but I can't figure it out," He said as he accidently threw his hand to violently and some of the liquid came out of the phial. The liquid flew threw the air and landed on Vianca's hand. Vianca's eyes widened and she yelled in pain. She flew up a bit holding her hand close to her. Alister goes over to her quickly.

"Vianca, what's wrong? What happened?" He asked as he became very concerned. She looked at the liquid in Zip's hand as he got up a bit.

"Keep that away from me," She said as she held her hand close to her chest. Zip looked at the liquid and that he was holding and put the cork back on it quickly. Alister managed to get her to come down a bit.

"Here let me see," Alister said as he got her to look at him. Vianca slowly showed them her hand. The spot that hit her hand was now stained black and steam slowly rose from it. It seemed to sting her so much that it brought her to tears. "What is that stuff? It's basically burned her. What on Earth did you bring back with you Lara?" Lara thought for a moment and then walked over to see it for herself.

"Remember the journal entry, the witch needed the substance. What if this is what it's for," Lara said gesturing to Vianca's hand. "It might be a way to keep spirits in check or something similar. Let me see that phial." Zip handed it to her and she opened it again. Vianca went behind Alister in fear of whatever that stuff was. She took a small toothpick and got some of the liquid on it. She handed the phial back to Zip who took it cautiously.

"If you plan to use that on Vianca, then I won't let you," Alister said as he kept Vianca behind him. Lara raised her own hand up slight and touched the liquid to her skin. Nothing seemed to happen as she pulled the toothpick away. She went over to get a napkin and wiped it away. She looked her hand over and sees that no such black mark was left on her.

"It seems that this stuff doesn't affect people…." Zip said as he looked up at Alister. "Maybe Lara's right, it only affects spirits, but we don't know that for sure." Alister looked back at Vianca who continued to hold her own hand. Vianca looked up at him with a scared expression. His eyes softened at the sight.

"Well, I won't allow any further testing. I am not letting Vianca get hurt by whatever the hell that liquid is," Alister said angrily. "I understand that it was an accident before, but I won't allow it." Vianca looked at the liquid and thought for a long time. The witch need it and seemed that it was hard to make if she would chase someone just to get one phial back. What if…..

"Alister," Vianca asked as she tapped his shoulder. Alister looked at her, his full attention now on her. "What if the extra ingredient is something that no one can get normally? What if it's blood….of a royal?" Alister's eyes widened at the thought.

"That would explain why she would kill a king," Lara said as she threw the napkin and toothpick away. "I suppose that would explain it composition." Zip looked at the liquid and then at Lara.

"Does that mean I am holding some dead king right now?" He asked as he looked back down at the liquid. Vianca looked down at her hand. She sees that the black stain was dissolving into the steam and the light green glow returned.

"It seems that the...burning effects doesn't last forever," Vianca said as she held up her hand to Alister. "It looks like it dissolves into steam." He takes her hand and looks it over and sighs.

"I'm just glad you're alright," Alister said as his grip around her hand tightened slightly. Vianca looked over at the stuff in Zip's hands and then back down.

"I knew that I sensed something ominous. I just didn't know what it was," She said. "Now, I know. It was coming from that phial." Zip looked down at the phial again and then placed it down.

"Well know we know that if we can find places where kings were well murdered, then we may find some more clues," Zip said as he rubbed his head. Vianca remembered what they came in here to tell them.

"We think we found the next ruins to go to," She said as she took the book from Alister and handed it to Lara. "It's mentioned in the journal that another amulet was found there. Maybe we can find more." Lara nodded and handed the book to Zip.

"Zip, make the usual arrangements," She said. Zip nodded and ran off. She looked at Alister, who gripped the necklace for a second. "Is she coming to or is she staying here?" Alister looked at Vianca, who in turn looked up at him.

"I won't make you do anything you don't wanna do, but I will ask." He said as he stared down at her. "Do you want to go or do you wish to stay here?" Vianca thought for a moment and then sighed.

"If I go, we have a better chance of finding an answer," She said as she looked away. "I will go, but Alister." Alister looked at her confused.

"What is it?" Alister asked as he stared at her, he handed the amulet to Lara before looking directly at her. Vianca reached up and kissed his cheek. Alister's eyes widened at her action and stared down at her.

"Stay safe, I want to see you here when I return," Vianca answered with a small smile. She soon disappeared without another word back into the amulet. Lara chuckled to herself and left Alister to ponder what just happened to him.


	9. Chapter 9

**As you can see I've become quite a bit more active. I've been really inspired lately so I've been writing a lot lately, but I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Let me know what you all think of this story so far. (Whoever is reading this lol).**

Chapter 9: The Witch

Lara climbed up a very tall jungle tree and looked from her perch. She saw nearly the entire rain forest and one thing that stuck out from it; the crumbling pillar of the ruins. She smiled at them and made her way over. There was broken up stone path that led directly to the entrance of these ruins. Along the sides were crumbling pillars that looked to be of some significance in the past, but are reduced to ancient rubble now. Nature was taking this place back over and it was pretty obvious that this place had not been touched by man in a long time. Vines overtook some of the columns and walls of the ruins. Grass grew very tall where it could and very tropical flowers grew around the bases of the ruins themselves. Lara couldn't help, but sigh at the sight of such a beautiful site.

She made her way to the entrance and stared down into the darkness. Although the beauty of the ruins was breathtaking, the inside of the halls was dark, damp, and unwelcoming. Vianca appeared besides Lara and stared down into the darkness with her. She looked over at Lara with a nervous look.

"Lara, I don't know about this one," She said as she stared down. "This is a worse feeling than the one I got at the last ruin. I don't like it." Lara looked at her and then back down at the ruins.

"At that place we found a few secrets that involved what you went through. If you are getting the same sort of feeling here, then we are on the right track," Lara said as she placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's going to be ok. I'm here with you. You are not alone and I won't let anything happen to you." Vianca looked down for a second and then nodded softly.

"Alright, let's go," She said in a very hesitant voice. Lara walked down into the ruins with Vianca by her side. They walked for a while before coming into a giant octagonal room. It had stone bricks in the walls, which some were coming out of place leaving gaps in the wall. The floor was made out of one giant stone slab, which was cracked and damaged over the years. There seemed to murals on the walls, each one mainly containing a dark figure. One of these murals caught Vianca's attention. The dark figure was standing in front of a girl in blue. She was appearing to be stabbed directly in the chest and green glow was around her. She placed a hand on her chest and then looked back up at the mural.

"Vianca, over here," Lara called, snapping Vianca out of her trance. Vianca walked over to Lara, who was standing next to a bunch of dusty broken bookshelves. "I think I've found something." She held up a broken necklace that had a green gem. The gem itself was shattered and was wrapped by leather wrappings.

"That's the necklace that the girl mentioned in the journal," Vianca said as she saw it. "Why was this happening? I want to know what made her do this to people." Vianca looked away from the sight, which caused her to notice something. She saw a couple of paintings on the wall, some of which worn and torn, but the frames still hung on the wall. Vianca walked over to them as Lara continued to search through things. She walked over to one of kingly looking man. There was something off about this painting. She grabbed it's edge and lightly pulled on it. It opened up to the side like a door and another room was on the other side.

"Lara, I found something," Lara looked and smiled at her. She jogged over to her and seemed quite pleased with what she had found.

"Are you sure you're not a tomb raider yourself?" Lara asked as she placed a hand on her shoulder. "Usually, I find all the secrets, but you are find them way faster than me." Vianca giggled at the comment and they both walked into the room.

The room itself was dark, but once Lara turned on her flashlight, Vianca was scared out of her mind. The room was had a skeleton of man, who looked to be of some sort of royalty lying on some sort of table and a bit further was a girl hanging up by her arms in a very ancient dress with a stab wound to the heart obviously depicted by her attire. The room was littered with all sorts of phials of weird liquids and odd tools. Vianca backed herself into a corner and wanted to forget everything she just saw.

"That….that….witch," Vianca said as she stared down. "Why is she doing this? Why did she do it to me, to any of these people? Who is she?" Static came from Lara's earpiece and she raised her hand up to it.

"Which one of you is trying to talk?" Lara asked as she listened carefully.

"Lara comfort, Vianca. She is having a breakdown again," Alister said with a very worried voice. Lara looked over at Vianca and notices it. She quickly is by her side trying to calm her down.

"Hey hey, Vianca, it's alright," Lara said as she pulled her into a sort of embrace. "I'm right here, it's ok. I'm not going to let this happen to anyone else. We'll catch this witch before she can do anything else. I promise." Vianca looked at her and then back at the seen before her. She eventually nodded and Lara let go of her. Vianca straightened herself up and looked away sheepishly.

"I'm sorry….I guess this stuff just gets to me…" She said as she looked down. Lara placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly and smiled.

"It's ok, this kind of stuff make us all uneasy. They just affect you a slightly different way than me due to well….you know," Lara said. "I promise you, I won't rest until we get this woman. I will get you your answer, Vianca." Vianca smiled at her slightly and nodded at her.

"Ok, again I'm sorry," Vianca said as she looked back at the scene. "Let's keep going." They searched around the room finding another phial of that black liquid, which Vianca stayed away from. Lara still picked it up and put it her bag.

"I rather me have it than the witch considering the effect it has on you," Lara said as she continued to search. Vianca smiled, but still didn't like the liquid. She opened an old wooden door and looked into the next room. She had an odd feeling coming from that room, but she still managed to push herself through to go in. Lara ended up following in after her and at first they see nothing. Vianca takes a step further into the room and the torches along the wall ignited all at the same time, causing both Lara and Vianca to jump. They see shelves with phial of liquids and other objects, but one thing that caught Lara's eye was an ornate looking knife sitting on a pedestal. They walked up to it, but Vianca stopped and refused to get any closer to it. "Vianca, what's wrong?"

"That knife…." Vianca said quietly, but loud enough to be heard. She just stared at the knife as if she was looking into fear itself. As if fear had manifested itself into a ugly scary creature and was staring down at her. She knew what that knife was….she knew exactly what that knife was. "That's….the knife that she…." Lara looked back at the knife and sees what she meant. She remembered the knife. This was the knife that killed her, her murder weapon. Lara took the handle and picked it up, causing Vianca to take step away. Lara put the knife in her bag and then turned to Vianca.

"She will never use this knife again. I won't allow her to use it on anyone else," Lara said as she stared at Vianca. "I promised you that no one else would be hurt like this." Vianca looked down at and smile somewhat. She turned around and looked around.

"Lara...we should go…" Vianca said as she backed up a bit. Lara looked around confused. "There's someone here." Lara looked around a bit for some sort of hiding place. She saw a closet and went over to it quickly. She opened it and sees there is just enough room for Lara to fit in comfortably.

"Vianca, go into the amulet, I'll hide here," Lara said as she got into the closet. Vianca nodded and disappeared into the amulet. Lara waited in the closet with and listened. She heard someone walk into the room. The sound of heels was very distinct then a sound of distress came from a very feminine voice.

"Where is it!?" The woman said as the sound of the footsteps sounded a slightly bit further. "Who took my knife!?" Lara's eyes widened at the sound of those words. That was the witch, in the room with her.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Dark Vow

Lara standing in the the closet, keeping as silent as she possibly could as she heard the witch throwing stuff around. She couldn't believe that the witch was actually alive, or this was possibly a descendant from the original witch. Except, with Lara's run-ins with dark magic before, she wouldn't put it past that she found a way to keep herself alive over the centuries. She heard someone else run into the room.

"Zaphara, what's wrong?" Said a male voice in a bit more of a worried tone. Lara managed to move the front of the closet open ever so slightly so that she could see what was going on. She managed to see a man in a white suit and black shoes standing there. She couldn't really see his face, but she did notice that he had red hair. She then saw a woman walk up. She was wearing a long flowing black dress that kind of dragged behind her. She had sharp cheekbones, but she her face was still beautifully sculpted. She had jet black hair that was in a long curly ponytail.

"My dagger has gone missing. Someone must have took it," She said angrily. The man raised his hands up as if defending himself from her.

"Calm down, Zaphara," He said as he placed his hands on her shoulders. "We'll find it, if anything, I'll get you another one. I know that you've had for years, but if we can't find it then I will get any sacrificial knife you want." Zaphara, crossed her arms for a second, but soon took a breath.

"It was getting old," She said as she looked off to the side. "It was starting to rust and has a few nicks in it the blade itself. I suppose it's for the best then. I am still not happy about this though." The man pulled her into a hug to try and calm her down more.

"It'll be alright, Zaphara," He said. "I'll get a brand new sacrificial dagger of your choice that is sharper and more menacing than that one ever was, I promise. We'll get everything you need to become the powerful being you've always wanted to be, or I will die right here." Zaphara looked up at him and with a small smile.

"Thank you, Demien," Zaphara said. "I will find out what happened to it, but at least there is someone here, who understands what I am trying to do." Demien placed a hand on her cheek and kissed her forehead.

"Come on, let's get going. We've got a places to be and things to do," Demien said as put a arm around her shoulder.

"And no time to waste," Zaphara added with a slightly evil laugh. Demien joined in the evil laughter and they walked out of the room together. Lara waited about ten minutes before determining that it was safe to come out. She sneaked over to the entrance and sees that the secret entrance was closed. Lara looked down at her bag, knowing that dagger was in it. She knew she needed to get out of here, before that witch came back. Static is heard from her earpiece and she raised her hand to it.

"Who in the heck is Zaphara?" She heard Zip say. Lara took a moment before answering, due to her processing what she just witnessed.

"Zaphara is the name of the witch," Lara said as she continued to look to the secret entrance. "I took her dagger and she came in looking for it. I fortunately managed to find a decent hiding spot, before hand. She seems to have a partner, or a lover, helping her do these things. He seems to be just as twisted as her, he also seems to be very contempt in his life style." Vianca soon appeared next to her and looked in the direction of the witch. She was mainly silent during the whole situation.

"So was this Zaphara that same witch?" Zip asked. Lara looked at Vianca, who kept silent.

"Is she, Vianca? Is she that same person?" Lara asked as she waited for her to answer. Vianca looked down and nodded.

"I know that evil laugh anywhere. That was her, I don't know how she's still here, but that was her," Vianca answered softly. "I can't believe that anyone would even indulge in her actions. They must just as sick and kniving as she is."

"Well, you all should get out of there before Mrs. Voodoo magic comes back because she forgot her expensive purse," Zip said. Lara nodded and let her hand fall to her side again, but only to unholster her pistol.

"You ready to get out of here, Vianca?" Lara asked as she looked over at her. Vianca nodded quickly and almost pleadingly.

"Please, I can't stand it here any longer," She said with a sad look. Lara nodded at her and she walked into the room they had originally came in and placed a hand on the secret door. She took a breath and pushed it open. They slowly walked out into the original room they were in. Vianca followed close behind her, ready just in case she need to protect Lara from anything. They closed the entrance behind to try and avoid suspicion. They walked over to the path that they entered in and were just about to head up the stairs when Vianca went behind Lara and held up her protective veil as a gunshot was heard. Lara turned around and sees that man in the white suit with a revolver in his hand. She could now see his face clearly. He had a very handsomely shaped with a couple chiseled features. His eyes were a deep green and seemed to almost pierce anything they looked at.

"You!" Said a female voice. The witch walked out from behind Demien. "You took my amulet! You're the one that set me back!" Vianca's fear grew more as she saw her again.

"La-Lara….."Vianca said in a shaky voice. "Wh-What do we do?" Lara thought for a moment, but before she could say anything the witch noticed Vianca.

"You...You've awoken. You're finally awake. Well, this makes things much easier," She said with an evil smirk. "Now, why don't you get your little friend to give me my amulet back and we get this over with?" Vianca didn't respond, but became slightly angry. Lara unholstered her other gun just in case she needed it.

"As Vianca told me, she only responds to the one holding the amulet," Lara called over. "So, she isn't going to answer your question." The witch huffed for a moment and then smiled.

"If that's so then the word Deprienum should mean nothing to her," She said as she eyed Vianca as if waiting for something. Vianca looked confused as heck.

"What does that mean?" Vianca asked as she turned to Lara. "Is that a new word used nowadays?"

"No, it isn't," Lara said, looking just as confused. "Hm…..Deprienum?" Vianca eyes widened when she heard it from Lara. Here eyes turned black and the green glow turned red. Static came from Lara's earpiece and she raised her hand to it.

"What's happening to Vianca?" Alister asked quickly.

"I don't know, but that word triggered something," Lara said as she saw that the dust and dirt began to circle around Lara's feet. Vianca let down her veil and glared at the people in front of her. Zaphara placed hand on Demien's arm and pulled him back a bit.

"Oh, this has all to do with that stupid vow she made. She would've triggered when I said and should've gone after Lara," Zaphara said angrily. Demien looked at her and then back at enraged spectre in front of them. With one swing of Vianca's hand, Demien was thrown into a wall and Zaphara into another. Vianca was approaching the witch and seem to have intent on killing her. Vianca was just about to do this when she had one of her visions. Alister was standing there watching this unfold from the safety of the manor, but looked scared, almost horrified. She could almost hear him mouth the words "Vianca don't." Her eyes went back to normal and the green glow returned. She realized what she was doing and ran back over to Lara. She hugged her and the next thing they knew they were gone; they had disappeared from that place.

They reappeared back at the manor, in the library that her and Alister always hung out in. Vianca continued to hug Lara, shaking like a leaf. Lara was confused on how they got back, but didn't question it due to the fact that she wasn't going to be getting any answers out of Vianca why she was like this. She hugged her back and was trying to comfort her.

"Hey, it's ok. I got you," Lara said as she kept Vianca in her arms for a moment before letting go. "I don't know what happened back there, but right now I think someone needs to see Alister." Vianca didn't answer, but nodded. Lara thought of doing something funny and placed her hand on her earpiece.

"Where in the heck are you? The video feed cut out as soon as Vianca hugged you," Zip asked as he became slightly worried.

"Nevermind that Zip, I'm safe. I need Alister to go into the library for a moment," Lara said.

"Is there something you want me to find?" Alister asked curiously.

"Something like that, just go," Lara said. "I'll give you more details once your there." She heard footsteps walking away from the main mic and she let go of the earpiece. She chuckled a little bit and placed a hand on Vianca's shoulder, who was still shaking. Alister opened the door and walked into the library.

"Ok Lara, what do you want me to-" Alister instantly stopped his sentence, once he saw the two in the room. "How did….why are….when did you?" Lara laughed a bit and then took off the amulet.

"I think Vianca needs you right now, Alister," Lara said as she held it out to him. Alister noticed the way Vianca looked and quickly was over there. He took the amulet and put it around his neck.

"Vianca, what's wrong?" Alister asked as he got Vianca to look at him. Instead of answering she clung to him. Alister was surprised, but put his arms around her protectively. "Hey it's alright. You're safe now, I got you now."

"I...I nearly killed her…" Vianca said softly. "I almost stooped as low that….woman...I…" Alister's eyes softened at the sorrow that came from her voice. He got her to look up at him and he could see the tears in her eyes. He wiped them away and smiled at her.

"You didn't though, You didn't kill her," Alister said. "I don't know what happened, but I would like you to tell me in the best a way that you feel comfortable alright?" Vianca waited a moment and then nodded at him.

"I remember what that word meant. It was….it was one of the vows I made," Vianca explained. "It was probably the most scariest vow I made. I would….I would instantly begin to attack whoever I was in front of when that word was uttered by her, but I suppose that I managed make it more difficult. With the vow that I would only respond to the one that wore the amulet and be awoken by the one who matched me, I guess that I made it to where whoever wore the amulet could say the word."

"So, you responded when I said it instead of when Zaphara said it," Lara said as she looked over at them. Vianca stayed silent and continued to hug Alister. Alister got Vianca to sit on the couch and he was sitting there trying to comfort her.

"Lara, I think you need to go show Zip that you're here, or scare him since he doesn't know you're here," Alister said a with a bit of chuckle. Lara smiled at the thought and nodded. She left the library to do just that and Alister took off the earpiece that he had put in when he walked away from the mic. "Vianca, I know that you don't remember much about this and it frightens you that this is something that happened. I also know that you don't like the thought of how many people went through this process before you. I just want you to know that I will always be here for you and I won't allow that woman to ever get you for whatever evil purpose she has for you." Vianca smiled up at him, but the smile faded quickly. She laid her head on his chest and he continued to hold her in his arms. She knew that this wasn't over, and that she would see that witch again, especially not that the witch knows that she's awake. This wasn't the end, this was only the beginning.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Spectre's Prison

The following weeks seemed heavy on Vianca, considering that event with Zaphara. She had some many things that were worrying her and she couldn't help, but be distracted by her emotions on this over the time that passed. She was floating in the library with Alister as he did his research. They had been trying to figure out everything they could about that dagger, and, truth be told, they were stuck.

Vianca was just simply float up in the air. She even came up with a neat trick that if Alister needed to move further away, she would throw down a rope to him and he could pull her like a balloon. This really helped when Vianca felt really tired. Although being a ghost, she can still feel weariness at times, and, when she does, she really doesn't want to move. Today however, wasn't one of those days. She was just thinking and speculating over everything. Alister was looking around, he had many books lying about this table and he was getting frustrated. He got up to go grab something when he tripped and tumbled.

"Ouch…." Alister said as he just kinda laid there for a moment. Vianca was soon right by his side.

"Alister, are you alright?" Vianca asked as she placed a hand on his arm. Alister sat up and nodded at her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. That's what I get for leaving a couple books on the ground like that," He said as he gestured to the books he tripped over. She giggled a bit and Alister just kinda started laughing himself at the thought of what happened. They both sat there laughing for a moment, before Alister just kinda laid back down and was just staring up at the ceiling. Vianca sat there looking at him curiously for a moment, but then he spoke. "I wish I had some sort of lead. A better lead, to what I need here."

"I'm sure we'll find something," Vianca said as she sat there and watched him. He laid there a moment longer and then sat up.

"I wish you could tell me more about those vows you made," Alister said. "I know you don't remember them all and they all come back to you in bits and pieces, but it would make this so much easier." Vianca kinda shifted in her seat. With the sound of those words, she remembered something she can do, but she need him to ask her before she could do it. She got up and ran over to the table nearby and grabbed a paper and pencil and came back. She wrote something on the piece of paper and handed it to Alister.

"Ask me that then maybe I can help," Vianca said. "I just remembered something I can do, but you have to ask me to use it though." Alister looked at her curiously, but took the paper. He looked down at the paper and read the command aloud.

"Vianca, reveal to me the secrets of the gemstone?" Alister said questioningly. Vianca smiled at him and nodded. She took his hand and gemstone began to glow brightly. It soon grew so bright that Alister couldn't see in front of him. When the light dimmed, he opened his eyes and all he could think of was his amazement. He was standing there in a green crystallized room that glittered wherever light hit it. He then realized that he didn't see Vianca. "Vianca? Vianca where are you?"

"I'm here, Alister," She said. "I can't manifest a human form, while we're the amulet."

"Wait, we're inside the amulet?" Alister asked as he looked around.

"Indeed, this was my home for centuries. It's glittery walls were my prison. From here, I can show my memories from back then, but I can't view them myself," Vianca answered. "Although, I can show you them. All you have to do is tell me what you want to see." Alister thought for a moment, feeling slightly uncomfortable due to how intrusive this is, but he didn't really have a choice at this point. They were all out of options and the sacrificial dagger wasn't leading them anywhere. He sighed and looked at the crystal-like wall.

"Show me the memory of the vows, Vianca," Alister said. There was silence at first, but then, in the crystal wall, a imaged formed into almost a movie like setting, except the image wasn't moving.

"Touch it Alister, then you'll see everything," Vianca said. Alister went up to the wall and was hesitant. He took a deep breath and reached his hand forward. He touched the wall, but it seems as though he could pass right through it. He felt a sudden jerk on his hand and before he knew he was pulled into the memory itself.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: The Truth

Alister sat up from the odd event that just happened. He found himself on a stone brick floor instead of the glittery emerald floors. He stood up and found himself in an odd giant circular room. He looked down and sees blood, which made him uneasy of where he was.

"Help!" A familiar voice yelled. Alister turned and sees Vianca held up by chains. Without even beginning to think about what's going on, he ran over to her. "Please someone help me!"

"Vianca, I'm here don't worry, I'm here," Alister said as he went to grab the chain to take a better look at the lock. His hand phased straight through the chain itself. His eyes widened and looked at his hand. He looked back at Vianca, who didn't even seem to see him. He heard footsteps behind him, causing him to turn around. He sees a woman in a long black medieval dress. She had jet black hair that curled every now and then. She wore a red amulet, one much like the one Alister was still wearing.

"You know no one is going to hear you, dear," She said as she walked up to a table nearby. Alister noticed the body laying on the table in front of him, which had a royal man with a crown on his head. The man had a stab wound to the chest and appeared to be dead. He looked back over at the woman and continued to watch her. She took off the amulet that she had on set it down. "You should feel lucky, Vianca dear."

"Why is that you, witch?" Vianca said angrily as tears raced down her cheeks. The woman laughed at the sound of the insult, as if it was just a joke to her.

"Well, I was just going to kill you like daddy here," She said as she held up a green amulet and set it down on a pedestal in front of Vianca. "I need a new sacred amulet. The spirit in mine is all used up from all the rituals I've done, but luckily still has enough power to help me with this." Vianca's eyes widened and looked over at the red amulet that was laying on the table adjacent from them.

"You mean you're going to trap in one...of those?" Vianca asked as her fear became slightly clear. The woman laughed and nodded at her reaction.

"Yes of course, you're the spirit I've been waiting for, Vianca. I've been waiting for a spirit and soul as strong as yours for years," The woman said as she patted Vianca's cheek. She walked back over and picked up the amulet once again. "With such a perfect timing too. I can't believe I found you just as my amulet was losing at the last of it's power."

"Wait, does that mean, there is someone trapped in there?" Vianca asked with a bit of a futile struggle.

"Yes, there is...or should I saw soon to be was," The woman said. "You see, I can do other magic just fine. Simple rituals and the like. Except, I can't do the major rituals without some difficulty. So, in order to enhance my power I need a spirit I can tap into."

"You use up their life don't you? You use up their spirit til their no more," Vianca said with a shocked look of disbelief. Alister's eyes widened as he looked down at the amulet around his neck. Was he using her spirit now?

"You're such a smart little girl," The woman continued with an evil smile. "Now, before I do this. I have to get you to say some things. If you cooperate, this will be over before you know it. If you don't, then it'll be a lot harder for you." Vianca was shaking in fear as each word was said. As time past, Alister listened to each of the vows remembering what they all were and hopefully asking Vianca what they all meant. Then came one vow that caught his attention.

"After I say all these things...you're going to use me to hurt others aren't you?" Vianca said as she hung her head low.

"In a way yes, dear," The woman said with an evil chuckle. Vianca sat there for a moment then something seem to come to her.

"Then I vow to never respond to anyone until the one whose soul matches mine speaks to me first. No vow can undo this," Vianca said as she looked angrily at the witch. The woman's eyes widened and angrily she grabbed her dagger. She raised it up above were Vianca's heart was.

"If that is the case, then I will search until I find this person, I won't rest until you are mine to control," The woman said. She brought knife down on Vianca and the memory ended and everything faded to black.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Alone Together

Alister was lying there on the ground of the Croft manor library. He was pushed every now and then by a very worried Vianca. He stirred a little, but not enough for Vianca to notice. She continued to try to wake him up.

"Alister? Alister, please wake up," Vianca pleaded. Alister heard the voice and his eyes slowly opened. He looked over and sees Vianca sitting there.

"V-Vianca?" He asked as he looked up at her. She smiled and hugged him.

"Oh Alister, you're ok," She said happily. "I was so worried. I thought that something went wrong and you weren't ever going to wake up." Alister sat up and placed a hand on his head, which hurt ever so slightly.

"How long was I out for?" Alister asked as he looked over at her again.

"About 2 hours now," Vianca answered as she sat there with him. Alister remembered everything he learned from the memory.

"Vianca, why didn't you tell me that being in this amulet would eat up your life basically?" Alister asked as he placed a hand on her shoulder. Vianca sighed and got him to let go. She helped him up and he continued to wait for his answer.

"I don't think you understand what she meant by that, do you?" Vianca asked as any emotion that she had prior was replaced by grief. "What she meant was that as she did rituals, she will tap into the life force of the spirit in order to complete the ritual itself. This means that during the rituals she is using up the lifeforce of the spirit. Being in the amulet, does not. It just traps me here." Alister looked down at the amulet around his neck and then back at her.

"I guess was a little worried considering just the sheer fact of that I would have…." Alister said as he stopped himself. He stopped and took a deep breath. "That I could've lost you." Vianca stared at him for a moment, but then smiled at him. She reached over and placed a hand on his cheek.

"I'm not going anywhere Alister. As long as you are in possession of that amulet, I'm not going anywhere," She said comfortingly. "You're not going to lose me and I don't plan to lose you anytime soon either." Alister stared at her for a moment with a lot of feeling going through him at that time. He remember all the vows and he knew he wanted to ask her about them.

"Hey, how about I take you somewhere we can talk and I can show you something that I think you'll like?" Alister asked as he took her hand in his.

"Oh, really? Where? And what will be talking about?" Vianca asked curiously.

"Well, the place is a surprise, so you'll have to wait til we get there," Alister said with a chuckle. "We can talk in general, but I will be asking you a couple questions because I know now all the vows you made that you don't remember."

"Oh ok, well at least I'll remember that, and it'll be nice to get out of the Manor that's not going to a dingy dungeon," Vianca said with a small smile. Alister smiled back at her and led her out of the library. Alister and her were walking along this path that lead away from the manor.

"I usually go this way when I want to clear my head," Alister said as he looked over at her. Vianca smiled up at him and looked around at all the nature.

"It's really peaceful out here," She said with a bit of calmness to her voice. Alister noticed them coming to a the hill that he remembered so well. He pulled her up the path a bit more.

"Come on I wanna show you something," Alister said as he pulled her a bit. She laughed and allowed him to pull her. The went up the small hill and were met with a beautiful view. There was a mountain range that peaked over the trees and behind it the sun was setting, letting off beautiful colors as it did.

"Wow, this…" Vianca said as she stared at the view. "This is amazing." Alister smiled at her comment and continued to watch the sunset with her.

"Hey, I know that a lot is happening and I know everything is hard to deal with, trust me on that," Alister said as he got Vianca to look at her. "Just know that I am here and I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon. I promise you that." Vianca stared up at him for a moment and smiled.

"You don't know how much that means to me, Alister," Vianca said with her beautiful smile. She hugged him and he hugged her back. They stayed there for a long time and talked for the most part.

"Hey let's try and see what all the vows are so we can figure out what powers you really have. Does that sound like an idea?" Alister asked as he glanced over at Vianca, who was now staring up at the stars. She looked over at him and nodded.

"Yeah, that sounds good," Vianca answered as she stood up. Alister got up as well and thought for a moment. "Well we know I can float, make shield-like veil, shoot well..energy blasts, teleport, detect dangers such as when you are in trouble specifically, and I can go into a sort of berserk mode."

"Ah ok here's one," Alister said as his memory came back to him. "You vowed your spirit to be robust and never falter." Vianca thought for a moment and looked around.

"Hm…what would that mean," Vianca said as she thought for a moment. "Well, robust means strength so….maybe I'm strong?"

"Well you can try either picking me up, or picking up that rock to see," Alister said as he sat down on the grass and waited. Due to not wanting to hurt Alister, she went to the rock. She grabbed it's edges and pulled at it. With much to their surprise it came out of the ground quite easily. She held the boulder about her head and looked at Alister.

"Well, that answers that question," She said with a chuckle. She tossed it off to the side and it landed with a loud thud. Alister chuckled at her and continued. They went through all the vows that she made and learned quite a few different powers that she had.

"Alright let's review all of this," Alister said as they began to walk back down the path. "You can't just float, you can fly and pick others up while doing so. You can also lift stuff ten times my weight, you can see perfectly well in the dark, and you can go invisible. You also have that berserk mode, which I won't mention much, detect the dangers for me and whoever is wearing the amulet, make a shield-like veil, and teleport you and others to any place you've been. You also have the power to control things around, such as you can make things travel across a distance at will, or simply make a fire get worse or better."

"Yeah, that seems to sum it up," Vianca said as they walked together. "I can't believe I can do all that stuff." Alister nodded at her and they continued to the manor. They got inside and went to the library as usual. Once inside, Alister closed the door and looked at her. She sat down on the couch and he followed her. They both sat their in silence for a moment until one of them spoke.

"Hey, Vianca?" Alister asked as he looked over at her. Vianca looked at him as if waiting for his question. "What do you plan to do once...once we get you unattached from this amulet and possibly you know in a real human body?" Vianca seemed caught off guard by the question, but turned and looked down as if contemplating the notion.

"I...I haven't really thought of that," Vianca said as she looked down. "I would say go home, but there is no way for me to do that. Truth be told, I've grown quite fond of being around you Alister." Vianca had a small blush come to her cheeks, which usually wasn't very visible with the green glow that she gave off, but the color differentiation in her cheeks made it visible.

"V-Vianca," Alister said in a soft voice. "I enjoy being around you too, Vianca. I can't explain it, but being around you makes me happy." She looked over at him slightly surprised and she turned away as the blush grew slightly.

"If it's alright with you Alister," Vianca said. "I...I would like to stay with you after this is all over." Alister smiled at her and nodded.

"It's perfectly fine with me. I will gladly let you stay," He said with a small laugh. Vianca laughed to and then rested her head on his shoulder. Alister put his around her shoulders and smiled to himself. "I don't mind at all." The two stayed there close to one another all night and ended up even falling asleep on that couch together. It was peaceful...for the time being.


	14. Chapter 14

I'm sorry for the late upload guys. I have been very busy. As you know I'm actually in college currently and finals have got me running back and fourth. I do still have 2 more to go but these shouldn't be as bad or at least the first shouldn't. Well, I'm going to try to keep these stories active. None of them are "dead" yet. I just haven't been able to get to them. I do plan to continue the others and I hope you all look forward to them. Alright, that's enough from me. Enjoy the chapter~  
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Chapter 14: Stolen Away

A few more weeks had past as they continued to try a pin point the very ritual that caused this unfortunate fate to Vianca. Lara had traveled to more than a dozen different ruins, finding similar activity, but not truly finding the true ritual. Even with the new knowledge that Alister had acquired from Vianca's memories gave very little information to where they should be looking. They were happy to know of what all Vianca could do at this point, and it would probably become useful later on.

Vianca was sitting in the air above Zip. Alister had to go on a small trip for three days and Lara currently was out exploring. Therefore, Zip was the only one left to keep her company until they needed her again, although Alister was returning later today. Zip was monitoring the screens of Lara's adventure and reading up on some documents. Zip was moving around quite a bit and didn't see the coffee that he had brought in was precariously close to the edge of the desk. He turned to sharply and hit it with his elbow. He fell off the table and he tried to grab it.

Before it hit the ground it was grabbed by small delicate hands and brought back up. Zip looked forward to see that Vianca was holding the coffee. He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled uneasily.

"Looks like I need to be a bit more careful," Zip said as he he chuckled. He took the coffee from her and placed it a bit further on the desk. Vianca smiled happily at him and then looked back at the coffee. She turned her gaze to a picture that happened to be sitting on the desk. She carefully picked it up and gazed upon it. It was a picture of Zip, Lara, and Alister. They were smiling around the a small table with a couple artifacts on it. Zip looked over and sees the picture she was looking at. "That was a great day." Vianca looked at him a little confused at what he said.

"Excuse me?" She asked as she tilted her head a bit.

"That day was me and Alister's true adventure with Lara. Although, Lara was the one that went on the adventure," Zip said with a small chuckle. "Those are the artifacts that we brought in. Alister had a field day with them. He loves things of old history." Vianca looked back at the picture and looked at Alister, who did look more happy than the other two.

"You know Alister well?" She asked as she glanced at Zip for a second. Zip looked over at her with a almost confused look.

"What kind of question is that? Of course, I know him very well. He's my buddy," He answered with a chuckle. "Historically smart buddy." Vianca thought for a moment and then nodded to herself.

"Do you know….how his...feelings are towards...me?" Vianca asked as she looked away. Zip stopped what he was doing and stared forward for a moment. He looked over at her to see her staring off to the wall away from him. Zip turned towards her and waiting a moment.

"Is there some sort of reason behind this question?" Zip asked as he looked to her. Vianca looked back down at the picture and at Alister's face.

"Well, I...I can't really describe it myself," She said as she placed the picture back down on the desk gently. "I find it silly that I even have these emotions with me being nothing but a spectre. I can't help, but...care so much for someone like him. He makes me feel as though I have life even if I know that I will probably never truly feel what is to be alive again." Zip stared at her for a moment before the headset acted up and he grabbed it.

"Not now Lara, having a serious talk," Zip said into the microphone. He waited a moment, listening. "It appears that there is a path over there by that small pond. Try that." He turned off his mic again and placed the headset down. He looked back at Vianca, who was kinda hugging her arms as she thought of these feelings.

"Vianca, do you know how you truly feel about Alister?" Zip asked as he gestured her to sit down. Vianca moved over to the chair and sat down. She was silent for a moment as she stared down at her feet.

"I...I care about him and not in a normal sense," Vianca answered as she thought it over in her head. " I want him to be happy and safe even if it means that I get harmed in the process. Although, I do wish to be freed from that amulet around your neck, I don't mind being with him and listening to him. He makes me laugh so much, when he talks so highly of history. He comforts me until I am calm, when I have a breakdown. He makes me so...so….happy." Zip smiled at her and took her hand.

"I think you more than care about him Vianca," Zip said as he got her to look at him. "I think you love him." Vianca looked down a moment as the words reached her. She sighed as she stared down and continued to do so.

"Silly isn't it? That a spectre should even consider such feelings to one who is living," Vianca said as she looked up at Zip for a second. "I should know better than to have such fantasies of emotion. He deserves someone who is alive as he is and to live a long life instead of attempting to help one who has no hope of living again." Zip's eyes softened as the words left Vianca's lips. He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile. Before he could talk, a loud crash was heard. They both turn towards it and hear what sounds like people moving through the manor.

"Oh no," Zip said as he turned and grabbed the headphones again. "Lara we have an emergency! There are people here and I don't know where their from. I think they busted through a window or two. I'm turning off the monitors and getting Vianca somewhere safe." He put down the headset again and turned off all the monitors. He got up and grabbed Vianca's hand. They both ran out of the room and up the stairs to the second floor of the manor. They hear the door of the room they were just in get busted through and more footsteps following it. They continued to run until they reached a door. Zip pulled it open and pulled Vianca into the room, closing the door behind them with a turn of the lock. He pulled her over to the closet, the nearest hiding spot, and opened it up. He went into it and pulled her in as well. He closed the closet door and then turned to Vianca, who was frightened.

"What do we do now Zip?" Vianca asked as she listened for the eventual sound of the door breaking down. Zip thought for a moment and then came up with an idea. He took off the amulet and held it in his hands. Vianca stared at it as he held it. "Zip, what are you doing?"

"They're not going to get you," Zip said as he placed the amulet in one of the shoe boxes that happened to be in the closet. He took out a pad of sticky notes and began to write something down on one. He then placed it on the lid of the shoe box and then began to write another. "I'm going to keep you in this and leave this note on the lid for Alister to find you. This means though...I have to go place this note on the desk, where we sit usually." Vianca's eyes widened at the meaning of this daring tactic and shook her head in disagreement.

"Zip no! You can't do this!" Vianca protested. "I know what's going to happen and I refuse to let you do this." Zip smiled and patted her head.

"It's going to be ok," He said as he closed the lid to the shoe box that no contained the amulet. "You should head into your amulet and await Alister, or Lara, whoever comes first. I'll see you at some point….I promise." Vianca just stared at him as he gave her one last smile and left the closet. She watched as her friend left safety just to save her and slowly sunk down to the floor the closet. She hugged her knees and laid her head down on her arms as she disappeared in wait of someone to find her.

The front door of Croft manor opened and in stepped in Alister, home from his long trip. He came in and sighed as he carried a small suitcase, that carried the belongings that he took with him. He looked around, noticing that the place seemed much more quiet than usual. He walked to the main room and sat his suitcase on the coffee table and then turned to the room, where Zip usually is hanging about.

"Zip? You in there?" Alister called as he began to walk towards the room, straightening up his suit coat. He came in and saw no one. He looked around and more confused than when he walked in. He walked over to the desk and sees that all the monitors are turned off and the mess that was now easily seen. "What on earth happened here?! Zip! Are you here!?" No answer came to him except the echo of his own voice through through the empty manor. He looked down and sees a sticky note that was slightly crumbled, but had his name on it. He picked it up and looked it over noticing quickly that it was Zip's handwriting.

"Hey Alister,

I'm sorry I'm not there to give you your welcoming home gift. I had...another sudden arrangements. I still want you to have the gift I got you. It's in the closet on the second floor in a shoe box. You'll know which one it is. Before you start thinking, no it's not a pair of pink fuzzy handcuffs like last time.

Sincerely, Zip"

Alister stared down at the note for a moment and then looked towards the stairs that lead to the second floor. He carefully made his way over there and looked up the stairs and then back at the rest of the room. He didn't notice it from the main room, but the door to this room looked slightly broken at hinges. He gulped at the sight and continued his venture up the stairs. He checked each closet and made his way to one room that still seemed to be cracked open. He carefully pushed it open and peeked his head in. When he saw no one, he came in quietly and approached the closet that was in the room. He opened it up to find some shoe boxes, seeing that one had a note.

"Dear Alister,  
Hey got you a gift buddy! I hope you like it. I mean you're a history type right, so this should be right up your alley. Be careful with it will you.  
Sincerely, Zip"

Alister raised an eyebrow at this note and looked down at the shoe box it laid upon. He stared at it for a good moment and then carefully took the lid off the box. His eyes widened as the fell upon the shining green gem of the amulet he knew all too well. He dropped the lid and picked up the amulet. The gem glew at the touch of his hands. Vianca soon appeared in the same position she was when she was left by Zip. Alister quickly put on the amulet and was next to her. He placed a hand on her shoulder, which caused her to look at him.

"Alister?" She said as she saw the familiar face.

"Vianca, what happened? Where's Zip?" He asked as he urged her to speak. Instead of responding normally, she hugged him and buried her face in his chest. Alister was surprised by her sudden outburst and it nearly knocked him over, but he caught his balance. He hugged her and was trying to calm her down. "Vianca, it's alright. Now tell me what happened." Vianca looked up at him, some tears in her eyes.

"They….they took him," Vianca said with the sorrow in her voice. As she continued to hug than man before her scared, sad, and angry all at the same time. Zip was gone….and it was her fault.


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey guys i'm alive! I am so sorry for such a long delay on this chapter any other chapters that are on their way. I have been super busy with real life problems. College is one of them, but I am going to manage. I hope you all will forgive me for such a long delay inbetween this and the last chapter. I hope you all enjoy this and all the other storeis that will arise soon. I'll let you know if I am going to be taking a haitus next time I do. Enjoy~**

Chapter 15: Risk it All

It had been about an hour or so, when Alister finally got Vianca to calm down and tell him what happened. She told him how it seemed to be a normal day, while Lara was exploring another ruin. She described her fear and how Zip whisked her away to safety as they were being closed in on. Alister sat there, listening intently to every detail of her tale.

"Then, he put the amulet in the shoe box after we entered the closet and he said that he had to go place the sticky note on the desk for you or Lara to find it," She said as tears ran down her face. "I tried to stop him and tell him not to go, but he didn't listen to me. He left and then….I went back into my amulet."

"Zip, why would you risk that?" Alister muttered to himself. He looked over at Vianca and sees her curl up, covering her face. "Vianca?"

"I could've stopped him. I could've helped him," She said as more tears raced down her cheeks and dripped off her chin. "I just...just let him. I should've grabbed him by the arm and…" Alister quickly pulled her into his embrace as he tried to comfort her again. She quickly turned to him and buried her face in his chest.

"Vianca, Zip did this for you. You know what it means if they get you and he didn't want that for you," Alister said as he rubbed her back in hopes of calming her down. "He knew what he was doing, or at least I hope so. He knew that there was a chance that he was going to get captured. In his mind, it was either him or both of you." Vianca remained silent, tears still streaming down her face. Alister managed to get her to look up at him and he smiled at her reassuringly.

"What do we do now, Alister? What if they….they try to do some sort of ritual with Zip?" Vianca said as the thought of such a thing only hurt her more. "I could never forgive myself if he gets…." Alister raised his hand to her face and whipped away the tears that came from her eyes.

"I won't let that happen. We'll get him back before anything happens," Alister said. "Once Lara gets back, we'll discuss a plan to get back Zip." Vianca silently nodded and continue to cling to Alister for comfort.

It wasn't long after that Lara returned. Alister filled in Lara on what Vianca told him. Vianca sat there on the couch curled up, watching the two talk. After the conversation, Lara thought for a moment trying to figure out where they would be.

"There has to be a place where she always goes," Lara said as she began to pace back and forth. "Some place that she would take him to keep him prisoner for awhile." The words prisoner perked Vianca's interest, not a good way. She thought for a moment and a flashback came to her.

~Flashback~

Vianca was hiding behind a suit of armor, listening in on who she suspected to be a witch. She saw her talking to someone, who she didn't recognize at all. The woman she came to know as her father's Court Mage, or whatever it was. Her name was Lady Zaphara. She seemed to be very frustrated with the person.

"Do you not understand what I am trying to do?" She asked angrily "If I am caught doing this they will burn me at the stake. I can't have anyone making mistakes, which means you." The unknown stranger raised their hands defensively.

"Hey, don't look at me. I am just giving you a report on what happened. I am just a messenger," They said in their muffled voice. Now noticing, that they had cloth covering the lower part of their face. "If you want to get mad at someone, get mad at the one who failed not me." She grabbed the guy by their torso and pulled them over to her.

"I've been at this for centuries and I am not about to let anyone stop me now when I am so close to my goal," She said angrily, "This castle has been my main grounds for rituals for far beyond your existence. I don't plan to give this place up easily. It's too perfect for these rituals to give it up." She pushed the stranger away and he nearly fell backwards, but caught himself.

"Yes, Lady Zaphara," He said with a reluctant and fearful tone. He walked away and she began to head in the other direction. Vianca followed after her and sees her enter the throne room. She waited for a moment and sees her going behind her father's throne. Vianca's eyes narrowed and she quickly followed, but when she got to her father's throne she didn't see the woman. She had disappeared.

~End of Flashback~

"I know where she is," Vianca said as she looked down at the ground. Alister and Lara looked at her with a surprised look.

"You do?" Alister asked as he looked down at the once scared girl in his arms. Vianca nodded and took a step away from Alister.

"Remember where you found me Lara?" Vianca asked as she looked straight at her. "The very first time you found my amulet." Lara thought and then a light sparkled in her eye.

"The ruins of the castle, there was a secret passage behind the throne," Lara answered. "Are you saying she's there?" Vianca nodded and looked down a bit again.

"I had a flashback to when I was alive. I overheard her saying that she's been there for centuries, or so, doing rituals and she said that she wasn't giving this place up that easily," Vianca explained in a very shy voice. "She's there, it's the only place for her to go. Her and her so called lover."

"He is going to probably be near her or keeping an eye on Zip," Alister said as he looked at Lara. "We need to get him out of there." Lara nodded and they began to go back and forth trying to get things together. Vianca thought for a moment and nodded to herself.

"I'm coming with you on this one," Vianca said stepping forward. Alister and Lara stopped, looking at her.

"It's too dangerous this time, Vianca," Lara answered. "If she's there then she'll do everything in her power to get to you for herself. She'll use you for your life force." Alister didn't say anything, but it couldn't be shaken from his face that he agreed with Lara. Vianca sighed with an annoyed tone to her voice.

"I am going, and there is nothing you can say that will change my mind. I can help. I can see people who are around each corner and every trap that might be there," Vianca argued. "I also want to help end this. I put you all in danger when I first spoke and explained my situation. I brought this all upon you. I need to set this right, even if I don't ever get out of that accursed trinket that I am bound to. I need to fix this. Let me fix it." The two looked between each other and then back at Vianca. Before Lara could speak, Alister spoke up.

"If you're going then I am going to, I know I don't have much experience in the field as far as Lara goes, but I will not allow that witch to take this amulet from my neck as long as I wear it," Alister said as he walked over Vianca. "I'm not going to sit idly by and let you go off into danger again. I could've lost you once during that first encounter with the witch, but I won't allow that to happen this time." Alister placed a hand on her cheek and gave her the kindest smile. Vianca looked up at him surprised, but then smiled at him sweetly.

"If that is the case, then I won't allow a single harm to come within inches of you," Vianca said as placed a hand on his. "I will die a thousand more deaths but harm comes to you or your friends. If you will it, then that it will be. Besides, I am bound to obey you." Alister chuckled at the notion and then looked at Lara, who was sitting there smiling to herself.

"Oh, alright," Lara gave in. "You both can go, but try to stay quiet and be careful. Although, you have Vianca to protect you Alister, we still don't know if she can drain herself from using too much of her powers." Alister nodded and turned to Vianca, who smiled at him confidently.

"I won't allow anything to happen to any of you. Do not worry about me. Like I said, I want to set everything right, even if it means I will never feel what it's like to be free," Vianca said as she looked back at Lara. " I will risk everything for you all. You've already done so much for me. Now, it's my turn to do something for you." They all sighed, knowing they couldn't talk her out of what she was saying, and nodded. They all began to pack supplies and get ready for this new and possibly last adventure.


End file.
